Rangers goalkeeper Liam Kelly was the hero for the Scottish side as he saved a penalty to earn a vital 0-0 draw with Athletic Club in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final. The match was played at Ibrox Stadium, where Kelly made several crucial saves to deny the Spanish side.
The visitors had a strong team with wingers Nico Williams and his brother Inaki Williams in their attack, but Rangers’ defense held firm despite being reduced to 10 men early in the game. Robin Propper was sent off for a rash tackle on Inaki Williams, denying him an obvious goalscoring opportunity.
Kelly made several impressive saves, including two brilliant stops just before halftime. Alex Berenguer thought he had given Athletic Club the lead just minutes after coming on, but his goal was ruled out for offside with VAR instead awarding a penalty for Dujon Sterling’s handball.
The substitute stepped up and sent his shot straight down the middle, but Kelly saved with his legs. The crowd erupted in delight as the Rangers goalkeeper celebrated his penalty save.
Rangers interim boss Barry Ferguson was proud of his team’s effort, saying, “Really proud of the effort and the commitment that my players showed tonight. Obviously difficult when you go down to 10 men, but I thought the game plan that I gave them, they worked ever so hard to make sure that it never went all the way down.”
The draw means that Rangers will now head to Bilbao for the second leg, where they will need to overcome a tough away test to progress in the competition. Former Rangers player Kris Boyd said, “Rangers defended really well all over the pitch, and it was a creditable 0-0 given they played a large majority of the tie with 10 men.”
The second leg promises to be an exciting encounter, with Athletic Club looking to make amends for their missed opportunities in the first leg. Rangers, on the other hand, will be looking to frustrate their opponents and catch them on the counter-attack.