My goal put us on the right track, but I thought his penalty looked harsh. But we did well to come back. It’s hard to get to those places, but we work hard. Our young players showed what they are like and how warm they are.
We can build on that foundation and look ahead to next Thursday. I don’t think they like coming to Ibrox.
“I’m waiting for a storm, a reaction. They’ve got quality, they’re also a team that has never lost at home in the Europa League. “
The way Benfica have behaved is quite smart and if they act in the same way, Rangers have a good chance of getting a result in the second leg at Ibrox. Benfica may struggle on a big European night at Ibrox with all the tension from the fans. He’ll put them on.
With injuries drastically reducing Philippe Clement’s attacking characteristics and weakening the defensive line of Roger Schmidt’s Benfica, this presents itself as the combination of a stoppable force and an obviously moving object. But the Rangers are confident enough after their recent comeback to get a decent result to get Ibrox back.
Everyone knows who I’ve supported since I was a kid. I don’t want to say that. Everyone supports a team and it’s the same for me. But the two years I spent at Benfica when I was young were very good.
They all gave me a lot of love. I don’t have anything [bad] to say. But then you decide to follow another path in your life. It’s special to come back to my country, of course.
It’s a great game, two wonderful groups and a great European game and I’m on the hunt for my first Europa League game with Rangers. I’m excited for this match.
I know Benfica and I also know some of their players from the national team. It’s great to see familiar faces again, of course. But the best thing for me right now is the Rangers.
I’m on the hunt for my first European game with the club and that’s what I’m thinking about. But yes, it’s special to go back to my country to see my friends and family. And of course, it’s even more special because I played here when I was young.
I’ve been here for two years and everyone has given me everything, so I have nothing to say against being here. It’s going to be special for me to play here. As I said before, I spent two smart years here.
All the other people here have given me a lot of love and taught me a lot of smart things. I have no problem telling the truth about this. But, in life, like everyone else, you follow another path and at that moment I chose another club, but I’m really satisfied with it.
If we lose the first goal against Rangers, it will create an incredibly poisonous atmosphere. A Rangers goal would have disastrous consequences for the team due to the reaction of the fans.
Listen, that game in Porto was humiliating for us. Roger Schmidt deserves to apologise to Benfica fans in particular and to the entire football world for betting on such pathetic football. I’m afraid the coach hasn’t faced the truth for a long time. We see.
The fact is that Benfica has the team of the league. . . and the worst coach. I am concerned that the president will also have to take responsibility. He extended the coach’s contract when many of us were against it.
Rangers put in a confident performance to score a 2-2 draw with Benfica in the first leg of the Europa League 16.
Philippe Clément’s men had taken an unexpected lead after just seven minutes when Tom Lawrence headed in Mohamed Diomande’s cross after a shot down the left through Fabio Silva.
Hosts Benfica huffed and puffed for the equaliser and finally got it when John Souttar was penalised for handball inside the box, and Argentina legend Angel Di Maria kept his cool to pass the ball past Jack Butland.
However, there was another twist in the first half, when Gers took advantage of a certain slowdown in Benfica’s defence to regain the lead with Dujon Sterling scoring his first professional goal on a clever cross from Silva.
Portuguese giants Benfica ratcheted up the tension after the break and equalised when Connor Goldson headed the ball into his own net, but Clement’s side absorbed the tension due to a valuable percentage of the spoils.
Rangers will now be keen to do the homework when Benfica visit Govan next week.
Find all the action from some thrilling action in Lisbon as it happened next.
It’s a vital result for Rangers in Lisbon, but it wouldn’t be a wonderful European game in those days without a refereeing controversy, would it?
Philippe Clément and his team led twice against the Portuguese champions, ultimately drawing 2-2 on a night full of twists and turns. But it was Benfica’s equaliser, from Angel Di Maria’s penalty, that caught the eye after the final whistle. The handball kick was given to John Souttar, first missed by the match referee but awarded after a VAR check.
It happened when Souttar tried to clear a corner with his head, but headed the ball over his own arm, which was enough for a penalty in the eyes of referee Tobias Stieler after reviewing his own decision. It proved to be the minor goal game, with Rangers returning in front almost without delay through Dujon Sterling before Connor Goldson’s second-half own goal set things right, but prompted protests among the pundits afterward.
Read what they had to say HERE.
Rangers manager Philippe Clement was very disappointed with the decision to penalise John Souttar for the kick that sent Benfica aiming for the pitch.
Replays show that the centre-back had indeed directed the ball into his own arm from an Angel Di Maria corner, before referee Tobias Stieler awarded a penalty after consulting VAR, which Argentina star Di Maria duly converted.
Belgian coach Clement has criticised the rules of handball and fears it could damage the game.
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Wales foreigner Tom Lawrence opened the scoring with the opener and believes his side’s display of fighting sets them up for a stellar return to Ibrox next week.
My goal put us on the right track, but I thought his penalty looked harsh. But we did well to come back. It’s hard to get to those places, but we work hard. Our young players showed what they are like and how warm they are.
We can build on that foundation and look ahead to next Thursday. I don’t think they like coming to Ibrox.
It was a game where there was almost everything, with Rangers holding on to a 2-2 draw, despite leading twice.
Here’s our assessment of the main talking points from tonight’s clash in Lisbon.
A thrilling first leg came to an end, with Rangers getting physiological credit over Ibrox.
They have been lucky at times, but Gers deserved the draw and they will be calm and confident that they can get rid of Benfica, one of the European heavyweights, in Govan next week.
We’re halfway through extra time and the Rangers have managed to get the ball to the other end of the field in the closing stages.
Fabio Silva didn’t stop running throughout the afternoon and helped ease the tension of the visitors.
He could have scored 17 goals so far this season, but the Benfica star has squandered a good chance to win.
The Light Blues didn’t take care of a cross, but the experienced winger went wild with a volley that flew over and wide of the Rangers goal.
Five minutes of extra time were added.
Di Maria tries to score directly from a corner, but Butland is there to shoot.
From the resulting corner, former Manchester City star Nicolas Otamendi lost contact with a header but failed to get a shot on target.
Meanwhile, Rangers made changes and Nicolas Raskin replaced Diomande.
There are five minutes left.
Benfica are ratcheting up the tension now and substitute McKinnon is in a position to make a brilliant block in the box after a shot from Di Maria.
Will Rangers be able to push themselves and win the 2-2 draw in next week’s second leg at Ibrox?
And his departure should seem like the only thing missing in this regard: the lack of a lethal lineout at the top of the field.
But Roofe is there and loves to score a goal at the Euros as Rangers try to relieve the mounting pressure.
To stem the tide, Clément has now resorted to his reserves.
Ryan Jack, Mckinnon and Kemar Roofe, Cyriel Dessers and scorers Sterling and Lawrence.
It’s what a goal can do in football.
Suddenly, the Rangers are shocked and Chief Clement will most likely head to his bench in a while to perform some new legs during the final 15 minutes (plus saves) of this tie.
The draw brought the raucous crowd to its feet and in the blink of an eye, Benfica were almost ahead.
A move to the right allowed Di Maria to open up his frame and his side foot in the far corner of the box, but to the astonishment of everyone inside the stadium, the winger made a mistake and shot wide of the box. Butland’s goal.
Benfica equalised and Connor Goldson had his head in his hands after heading towards his own goal.
The centre-back touched a Di Maria free-kick but, unfortunately, headed in the opposite direction and his header beat Butland.
And that could be because visitors are facing a number of damaging attacks.
Benfica make their move but it’s a night in which bad things happen.
Half-empty stands, soggy punters and gloomy football – the recipe for a disastrous European Championship.
The Wolves loanee will be on the scoreboard against the club where he spent time in his youth.
After some clever feet appeared, Fabio Silva placed the ball at his left post and his shot was saved by Anatoliy Trubin.
As we move forward, the home team is about to force a significant goal attempt in the second half.
The Gers full-backs kept company and continued to burn.
The Estadio da Luz was bustling before kick-off, but now it’s quite quiet.
The pressure on Benfica coach Roger Schimdt is already mounting and the defeat will only add fuel to the fire of fans who want him to leave his job.
Here we pass again.
The speed of this game has been relentless and while Benfica desperately tries to force an equaliser, open football is expected.
Rangers and their ability to seek luck make Benfica dizzy and confused.
But will the boys in blue make it?
With us you probably won’t miss any of the emotions of the moment.
It looked like the teams would be tied at halftime, but the Rangers swooped in on a defensive howl to score a second goal with the last shot of the half.
Clement’s men trailed for most of the half, but were ruthless in delivering two fatal blows to their stellar opponents.
Dujon Sterling brought Rangers back to the half-time whistle!
Benfica ate up clearing their lines and after keeping the attack alive, the former Chelsea player reacted quicker to pass home a long-passed cross from Silva.
Amazing end of the half.
The Portuguese team came back in the first half.
Butland was eventually beaten when Di Maria deftly kicked the penalty, waiting for the goalkeeper to make his move before sending it in the opposite direction.
After consulting with the instructor, referee Tobias Stieler awarded a shot on goal after a handball by John Souttar.
This can be a huge blow for Rangers, who were just minutes away from taking a valuable lead at half-time.
It was an incredible duel between Butland and Benfica winger Neres, with the former available to make a brilliant save with his foot after the Brazilian had discovered an area in the box.
Lately, a VAR review is underway for a possible penalty for the home team.
Di Maria is about to burn out, but that hides the reality of this unstable Benfica a bit.
They pose a threat, but combustion seems to be as big of a danger as the team they face on the field.
The audience rises to its feet when Di Maria falls into the box.
He held on to the ball from Neres but directed the ball well through Goldson, who executed enough pressure to prevent Di Maria from taking a blank shot on goal.
The veteran claimed his case for a penalty but VAR claimed no foul had been committed.
The 36-year-old is the player who introduces the book.
The hosts were given a free kick on their team’s back and, on his run, the former Real Madrid star grabbed Ridvan Yilmaz in the face with a shove.
Benfica’s number 11 stepped forward to take a free-kick out of bounds, but his inside shot went past Butland’s left post.
There are less than 15 minutes left for the first half at the Estadio da Luz.
Benfica has all the signs of a team on the verge of collapse as they suffer their third defeat in a week.
The names of the superstars shoot in other directions and look more like a team of Americans than a forged unit, swimming against the tide.
Clement is acutely aware of the precarious nature of the scoreline, but he is also brimming with pride in what a win could mean.