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so close
Rangers 2024-2025
- Thread starter Boyne
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The Rising Sun
An Untouchable
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Is this the most lurid introduction to a football video ever ? From the Daily Mail .....
"Video: Inside Old Trafford's night of horror: Amid the chaos of death, mass arrests and thugs in balaclavas leaving kids in tears, NATHAN SALT gets unprecedented access to police operations as Man United v Rangers turns into an 'absolute s***show'
It fails to mention that the person who passed away was an elderly Rangers fan who suffered a "medical emergency" with no suspicious circumstances. That piece wants to link it to the "chaos"
"Video: Inside Old Trafford's night of horror: Amid the chaos of death, mass arrests and thugs in balaclavas leaving kids in tears, NATHAN SALT gets unprecedented access to police operations as Man United v Rangers turns into an 'absolute s***show'
It fails to mention that the person who passed away was an elderly Rangers fan who suffered a "medical emergency" with no suspicious circumstances. That piece wants to link it to the "chaos"
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Image caption,
Robin Propper turned the game in Rangers' favour
Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland
Dundee Utd 1-3 Rangers
Rangers recovered from an early scare at Tannadice to defeat Dundee United in a pulsating, end-to-end and pick up their first away win in seven attempts.
Philippe Clement's side trail Celtic in the Scottish Premiership by 10 points and their poor form on the road - drawing their past three in the league - has put pressure on the manager.
But after Sam Dalby had given United the lead, Rangers hit back through Mohamed Diomande's curling strike.
That gave the visitors the boost they needed and they took the lead after four second-half minutes when an unmarked Robin Propper was able to fire past Jack Walton, via a big deflection.
Rangers came close to extending their lead on a few occasions, but struggled to truly shake off a United side who hit the post three times.
However, Cyriel Dessers wrapped up all three points in the 86th minute when he got on the end of Zak Lovelace's pass and fired high across the goalkeeper and into the top corner.
It was not all good news for Rangers though, as Diomande was sent off in added time following an exchange of shoves with Kevin Holt.
Referee Nick Walsh was asked to review the incident on the pitchside monitor but stuck with his initial decision, apparently of the view that the Ibrox midfielder had deliberately swung his arm towards the face of his opponent.
Rangers wake slowly to quell United threat
For the first half an hour, it looked like it might be another long away day for the travelling Rangers support.
Clement's side have dropped points in eight of their league excursions and had not won since early December at Ross County.
After an energy and morale-sapping loss to Manchester United on Thursday, they started slowly. Passes were wayward, there was little threat, and the hosts had them under real pressure from set-pieces.
Diomande's fine goal breathed new life into them. Hamza Igamane looked more confident, nutmegging defenders at will, and his teammates started to address the physical challenge of United.
There was an element of fortune in Propper's goal but Dessers' late finish was sublime, coming after a brilliant goal at Old Trafford and a Scottish Cup hat-trick.
Clement will be content with the way his team overcame a sticky start to dominate, although he was left fuming at Diomande's dismissal, which looked incredibly harsh.
Undaunted United fail to make chances count
Jim Goodwin's starting line-up gave us a big hint as to how they were going to play against Rangers - attack, attack, attack.
Rauri Paton came in for a first start next to the league's top scorer Dalby in a 4-4-2 formation.
They matched Rangers' shape and enjoyed plenty of first-half pressure. Dalby hit the post with a header and Luca Stephenson had a shot tipped wide by Jack Butland.
When the goal came, it was well-deserved and unsurprising that it came from a long Will Ferry throw. However, they were rocked by Rangers' equaliser and looked for shelter in the dressing room after a opening 45 minutes where they gave everything.
Their hard work was undone by Propper's strike, with the visiting defender left completely unmarked in the penalty area.
Kai Fotheringham hit the post, although the play was called back for an offside, and Nico Raskin almost put into his own net as he tried to stop a cross from the left and ended up hitting the woodwork.
All the effort and endeavour for a goal left them open at the back in the last 10 minutes and Rangers took advantage of that to see United off.
The red card for Diomonde today in added time, was one of the worst I have ever seen at any level of football.
It was for a slight bit of pushing !
The ref reviewed it on VAR and somehow couldn’t see anything to change his mind!
What has football come to?
The legendary Scottish referee ‘Tiny’ Wharton must be turning in his grave.
It was for a slight bit of pushing !
The ref reviewed it on VAR and somehow couldn’t see anything to change his mind!
What has football come to?
The legendary Scottish referee ‘Tiny’ Wharton must be turning in his grave.
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The SFA have now released a statement amid all the scrutiny and have confirmed they back referee Nick Walsh's decision to issue a red.
They say it was in fact violent conduct because of the "deliberate swing of the arm to the face" of Holt.
A statement read: "Nick Walsh has taken the view that there was a deliberate swing of the arm towards the face of an opponent, which was not negligible, and therefore constitutes violent conduct."
Speaking at full-time, a obviously and understandably furious Clement slammed the decision as INCREDIBLE.
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Dessers is like a man transformed in recent weeks - suddenly it's all happening
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great performance tonight. looks like we've got into the top 8
Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland at Ibrox
Rangers upset the odds to earn an impressive top-eight finish in the Europa League after Vaclav Cerny's second-half strike proved decisive against Union Saint-Gilloise.
A direct route to the last 16 seemed very unlikely until deep into the second half at Ibrox given the necessity for results elsewhere to go the Scottish Premiership side's way, but those all fell perfectly into place.
Philippe Clement's team will now face one of Bodo/Glimt, Anderlecht, Twente or Fenerbahce in March depending who progresses from their play-off fixtures.
Rangers - who started the night in 13th place having played four of the eventual top seven - had a straightforward assignment. Win and see how the cards fell.
They did that, despite a number of scares, to earn an incredible outcome.
Clement was forced to field a makeshift defence once again with James Tavernier at centre-back and Leon King at right-back. King's night ended very prematurely after a head knock and Ross McCausland then filled that role.
It was Nicolas Raskin who struck first against his Belgian compatriots. The midfielder timed his run to the back post perfectly to meet Tavernier's excellent delivery and net just inside the far post.
But Union showed plenty of threat and thought they had levelled, but VAR deemed Franjo Ivanovic had strayed marginally offside before finishing past Jack Butland.
Cyriel Dessers was effective again. From a corner just before half-time, he finished with real composure but was judged to be offside in the tightest of calls.
Moments later, Mohammed Fuseini got on the end of a cross for the visitors and somehow put it behind from a yard.
That was a let-off and more would follow as Union pushed for an equaliser.
Ivanovic missed from six yards. Fuissini thought he had scored but Tavernier blocked. Then Ivanovic was off target on the follow-up when it seemed a goal was odds-on.
But Rangers relieved all that pressure on the counter. Dessers bobbed and weaved down the left, and pulled back for Cerny, who netted his 13th of the season.
That seemed to knock the stuffing out of the visitors and Cerny came close again with a shot off a post.
However, in a thrilling finale, Kevin Mac Allister pulled one back with a header that looped over Jack Butland and was awarded after a lengthy video assistant referee (VAR) check.
Substitute Kevin Rodriguez then, off balance, scooped over with the goal gaping and Ross Sykes blazed over deep into stoppage time, but Rangers clung on for their coveted prize.
Rangers deliver dream top-eight outcome
This has been an incredibly impressive Europa League campaign. A top-eight finish is a fantastic outcome given how foreboding the draw looked and the fans were loving it come full-time.
This was a tough group, no doubt about it.
Progression was secured before kick-off but such were the uncertainties involved, a top-eight finish really seemed beyond them at the start of the night.
That still seemed the case until late on when Nice levelled against Bodo/Glimt and suddenly everything somehow just fell into place.
This was a Union Saint-Gilloise side that seemed capable and intent on getting forward whenever possible. Rangers stood up to that, having rode their luck several times but they were clinical at key moments and that was decisive.
It is something of a conundrum this season that, at this level, Rangers can seem to raise their game yet have struggled away from home in particular domestically.
But no-one at Ibrox was bothered about any of that come the final whistle.
Dessers deserves special mention. He seems to have really stepped up of late and played a key role in what was a memorable night, and achievement.
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That last bit is a rallying cry. “All this dressing room wants to do everything for this Club, for the Colours, for the Team.”
Well said.
