Flashes of the past spark hope for the future in Villarreal ANALYSIS
RANGERS After a throwback European battle in Spain, SportTimes
COMING from behind twice to snatch an unlikely 2-2 draw against Villarreal; it is as if Rangers have never been away. Well, not exactly – that famous night when Alex McLeish’s side drew with a Juan Roman Riquelme and Diego Forlan-inspired outfit at Ibrox en route to an away goals elimination was in the last 16 of the Champions League back in 2006, rather than an opener in the continent’s secondary competition, the Europa League.
But there was still plenty to admire about how Steven Gerrard’s side acquitted themselves in the club’s first match in the group stages or beyond of either European competition since a draw with PSV in 2011... for telling his team to get forward and got his reward. Moreno and the Ibrox side would have had nothing tangible to show for their efforts.
To state the obvious again – this Villarreal side are not of the same class as that 2006 group. They only sit 14th in La Liga, having just recorded the first win of their league campaign. But getting a draw from this opening match day, a point they would barely have dreamed bargain for beforehand, opens things up for Rangers in Group G. As much class as the likes of Santi Cazorla and others possess, Ibrox can be a formidable weapon for Steven Gerrard’s side.
With two second-half goals giving Rapid Vienna a 2-0 win against Spartak Moscow in the group’s other matchGroup G now has an unpredictable look to it. promotion of this 18-year-old winger, a Glasgow-born graduate of the Norwich City academy. But, fresh from his first goal for the club against Dundee at the weekend, he was thrown into the action when his team needed him most around the hour mark last night and justified his manager’s faith to the full.
While Kent’s direct running often sees him naturally come infield, Gerrard has correctly discerned that sometimes the thing that full-backs fear most is a winger prepared to stay wide. With his first action after taking to the field, that is precisely what Middleton did, earning a booking against the previously untroubled Miguel Llambrich which gave him something else to think about.
With the full-back understandably giving him a bit of room next time, he had the space to play Borna Barisic down that side, the Croat’s sweet low centre rolled in by Kyle Lafferty for the second equaliser on the night. More cameos like this, and more chances await.