Alfredo Morelos and Glen Kamara weren’t the only two Rangers players in senior international action on Tuesday.
Lassana Coulibaly was away on Mali duty.
They faced off against Senegal, in Dakar, in a friendly. The fixture had more importance than your average non-competitive international though, as both sides are preparing for the African Cup of Nations.
The tournament is being held in Egypt and kicks off on 21 June. Therefore, each nation will only have a handful of warm-up fixtures remaining.
Coulibaly played the full 90 minutes and looked to be helping his side to victory.
Adama Traore put Mali in front after 72 minutes and with just three minutes remaining, it was still 1-0.
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However, Liverpool’s Sadio Mane popped up with an equaliser. Then, Pape Moussa Konate delivered a crushing blow with the winner right at the death.
The nature of the defeat is bound to be disappointing for Coulibaly and his teammates.
He now faces a nearly 4000-mile flight back to Glasgow to join the Old Firm preparations.
However, for a player who has only made a handful of club appearances in 2019, the international fixture provided some much-needed game time.
Coulibaly faces a race between now and the end of the season, to try to earn a permanent Rangers contract.
Otherwise, he will be heading back to France in the summer.
