Sands red card hurts Rangers on emotional night
FiRST there was the silence followed by the noise, respectfully and then rousingly observed in marking the passing of Queen Elizabeth ii. And how ibrox revelled in defying UEFA instruction with a hearty chorus of God Save the King.
Rangers confirmed before kick-off that they would be playing the national anthem, honouring the wishes of fans as opposed to the suits from Switzerland.
But even the UEFA delegation present would surely admit this was a fitting tribute to the Queen, whose portrait hangs in the home dressing room. it was, hopefully, a forerunner of the scenes across Premier league grounds this weekend.
A pin could have dropped in the car park during the minute’s silence and you would have heard it inside this stadium, such was the reverence shown, and all to the backdrop of a Union flag mosaic carrying Her Majesty’s silhouette.
The worry, when the action began, was that Rangers would be chasing shadows of their own. not a chance. Much like their fans before the game, the players did their club proud. Defiance was the mantra of the evening.
Yes, it is a second defeat to leave Rangers bottom of a daunting group A, but that had as much to do with bad luck and borderline decisions by the officials.
napoli’s Matteo Politano scored the opener from the penalty spot on 68 minutes before giacomo Raspadori and Tanguy ndombele added some undue gloss with a pair of close-range finishes late on, but that is not the full story.
Rangers started ferociously and should have been in front inside 30 seconds when Alfredo Morelos headed wide from six yards. The hosts then enjoyed the better of the chances until the real drama — and controversy — started to unfold just before the hour.
napoli’s giovanni Simeone was sent clear on goal but, with Jamie Sands sliding to recover, the striker was sent tumbling. it looked like the defender had got something of the ball but referee Antonio Mateu lahoz disagreed and pointed to the spot, showing Sands a second yellow.
But from home fury came furious fun. Piotr Zielinski took the kick and Mcgregor saved, only for Politano to lash in the rebound. goal? not so. The forward had encroached and the penalty would be retaken.
Quite how napoli got another shot from 12 yards following their infringement is anyone’s guess.
Zielinski thought he could outwit Mcgregor by taking exactly the same penalty but, at 40, the veteran keeper is not one to be made a mug and duly saved.
it was only another debatable refereeing call which finally tipped the game in napoli’s favour, Rangers defender Borna Barisic judged to have handled from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s goalbound blast. it was close enough for Barisic to feel harshly treated.
This time, Politano stepped up to drive beneath Mcgregor, who again read the taker’s intentions.
But Rangers boss giovanni van Bronckhorst was right to be encouraged. ‘Until the red card we gave napoli a really tough game,’ he said. ‘The scoreline did not reflect our quality on the pitch.’