Rangers battled hard after going down to 10 men in the first 12 minutes, ultimately securing a 0-0 draw against Athletic Club in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals. Speaking post-match, manager Barry Ferguson praised his team’s performance.
“It’s difficult when you get down to 10 men against a very good team, but I thought individually and collectively they fought for one another and I’m sure the fans in the stands appreciated that.”
Ferguson continued: “It shows the defensive resilience, as you say, to older players. Yeah, that’s been an issue, conceding goals, really soft goals at times, but I thought the defenders put their bodies on the line and that’s what I expect. But it just wasn’t the defenders, I thought, into the midfield and up top. Everybody worked for one another. And when you get that, you tend to get positive results.”
Athletic Club were awarded a penalty in the 80th minute, but Liam Kelly made a crucial save. Despite the save, Ferguson believed the decision to award the penalty was incorrect.
“I watched it back and it did connect with [Dujon Sterling]’s hand, there’s no doubt about that, but he wasn’t looking at it. But listen, the referee gave the penalty and listen, [Liam Kelly] stepped up with a brilliant save, so delighted for him. We often speak about the crowd, they often push the players over the line, but they kept so noisy from minute one right until the very end.”
Rangers head to the Basque Country for the return fixture against Athletic Club in the UEFA Europa League quarter-final next Thursday, with kickoff at San Mames scheduled for 20:00 BST [21:00 CEST].
