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QPR 2-0 Doncaster Rovers - Team of nations too much for Doncaster
Doncaster defender Matthew Mills was taken to hospital with a suspected broken jaw as his side slipped to their first defeat of the season.
Emmanuel Ledesma, the 19-year-old Argentinian on loan from Genoa, scored his first goal in English football, doubling the hosts' lead with a well-taken strike after Dexter Blackstock had opened the scoring.
A comfortable victory provided the perfect tonic for Rangers' chief Iain Dowie following the previous week's chastening 3-0 defeat at Sheffield United.
Newly-promoted Rovers barely managed an effort on goal.
QPR went ahead in the fifth minute when another of their exotic signings, on-loan Real Madrid youngster Daniel Parejo, lifted a free-kick into the area.
Blackstock was unmarked in the six-yard area and had the simple task of tapping the ball over the line.
The second goal came in the 28th minute when the livewire Ledesma latched on to a long punt forward, held off two challenges and tucked the ball past a hopelessly exposed Neil Sullivan. The under-siege Rovers' goalkeeper then saved well from Damion Stewart's header before comfortably keeping out Ledesma's bicycle kick.
James Coppinger then hit the side-netting as Rangers took their foot off the gas but the hosts were rarely threatened.
"You have to give credit to QPR," said Rovers manager Sean O'Driscoll. "They learned from that defeat at Sheffield United and were much more solid, they made it difficult for us.
"Eight of their players are over 6ft 2in so it's not rocket science to say you have to defend properly at set-plays, so we're disappointed with that.
"It's the first physical test we have faced in this division and we struggled to find a way to get a result."
Dowie said: "Doncaster are a very good side, one of the best passing sides in the division, and we nullified that and we had a creativity. The defeat at Sheffield United hurt but we put it to bed."
Queens Park Rangers: Cerny; Delaney, Hall (Connolly 29), Ramage, Stewart; Cook (Balanta 72), Mahon, Leigertwood, Parejo (Rowlands 78); Ledesma, Blackstock. Unused substitutes: Camp, Di Carmine.
Doncaster: Sullivan; O'Connor, Roberts, Mills (Van Nieuwstadt 57), Hird; Guy (Chambers 84), Stock, Wellens, Coppinger, Hayter, Taylor (Elliott 84). Unused substitutes: Woods, Spicer.
Referee: Mike Thorpe (Suffolk).
Man of the match: Emmanuel Ledesma.
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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