RANGERS Development Squad suffered at the hands of a dominating second-half Leicester City display at Ibrox.
The visitors scored five in the second period after an evenly matched first 45 minutes. City were 1-0 up with a couple of minute gone but Ryan Hardie cancelled their lead out from the penalty spot on 16 minutes.
It was a lesson for a young Graeme Murty side at the hands of the Premier League academy side.
Conor Tee netted a hat-trick on the evening and opened the scoring and his account within two minutes. Tyrese Shade squared to Tee on the edge of the box and profited from a slip from Michael Hewitt at right-back. He skipped forward down the left of the area before drilling the ball into the far corner
Tee had a good chance to double Leicester’s lead on 10 minutes when he curled a central free-kick, which had Aidan McAdams on his toes, over the bar.
Serge Atakayi went agonisingly close on 11 minutes when Myles Beerman played him in down the right. He broke into the box to weave his way into a good position and glanced a strike just past the far post.
Hardie won and converted a penalty to draw his side level on 16 minutes after he was barged off his feet and the ball by Calvin Ughelumba. The striker stood up and slotted a cool spot-kick past Rhys Davies in goal for the English Premier League side.
Shade made a powerful run down the left wing just before the half hour mark and came close to a second for Leicester with a shot just past the right post.
Captain for the night, Myles Beerman, forced a save from Davies on 33 minutes as he caught the Leicester wall out by drilling a free-kick along the ground from 25 yards out. Rangers picked up the ball as it was parried out into the six yard box but the referee flagged for offside.
A minute before the break Hardie ran into space and lashed the ball low from some distance goalwards. His shot picked up some pace as it bounced along the turf and the 19-year-old was denied by the base of the post. An impressive chance for the forward as Rangers ended the first period brightly.
Sammie McLeod powered a shot at McAdams with 53 minutes gone and the Gers stopper did well to deny him with a pal as he dived to his left. Moments later the visitors had the lead again through Shade as he raced off the left wing to fire into the far corner beyond McAdams.
Tee had his second of the evening on 62 minutes as he picked the pocket of Danny Finlayson on the edge of the area to completely dispose the Gers man and run through clean on goal. his shot rattled off the inside of the post and into the back of McAdams net.
Two minutes later City had four as substitute Rubyn Gill thundered an attempt at goal which rose slowly before crashing off the woodwork and into the path of Tee. The midfielder tapped over the line from close range to give himself a hat-trick.
Tom Fielding added a fifth for Leicester six minutes before time as he turned to shoot on the angle and slotted the ball between Finlayson’s legs. McAdams saved well from Brown a minute later when his strike deflected en route towards him. He scrambled to his left to leap with a full length dive and turn the ball out.
Fielding rounded off things for the visitors on 87 minutes as the Gers were caught on the break and the defence switched off to allow him to slot home from eight yards out.
RANGERS: McAdams, Hewitt, Beerman (C), Palmer, Finlayson, Mayo, Dallas (Shiels 61’), Kelly, Hardie (Nelson 61’), Rudden, Atakayi.
Subs not used: Wright (GK), Ahmed, Gray, O’Connor.
Goals: Hardie 16’
LECIESTER CITY: Davies (Stolarczyk 45’), Thomas, Ughelumba, Leshabela (Gill 58’), Heaven, Husek, Williams (Fielding 58’), McLeod, Shade, Brown, Tee (Elewa-Ipakwu 77′)
Subs not used: Keaveny.
Goals: Tee 2’ 62’ 64’ Shade 54’ Fielding 84’ 87’