It was a miserable, miserable afternoon for Rangers fans at Ibrox today. …as they could only manage a 1-1 draw with Dundee, it being the first time since 1989 that they’ve failed to win their first two league games of the season. Soon after the break, Ryan Astley sent a shockwave through the home crowd with a towering back-header. His unbelievable goal rattled every soul in that stadium!
Dundee’s performance was typified by their tireless defence and wasted chances at the other end. In fact, they nearly took the lead much earlier in the match when Clark Robertson’s header from a corner rattled the post. The preparation leading up to this opportunity included Luke Graham, who beautifully served a ball to Robertson. Jack Butland, Rangers’ goalkeeper, was fortunate to collect the loose ball at the second attempt following that close call.
Rangers’ head coach Russell Martin made a controversial substitution early in the second half that would turn around the game completely. He replaced Tavernier and Danilo with Rothwell and Max Aarons. Just when it seemed Cyriel Dessers had won it for the Belgians with a stunning late strike, suddenly that excitement was tempered as the referee determined the play offside. Rangers were unable to take advantage of their attacking prowess because of this ruling. This would prove to be the case as they would be left frustrated as they couldn’t find the back of the net all afternoon.
It wouldn’t get any better for the Rangers. Nasser Djiga picked up a straight red card for taking down Fin Robertson as he bore down on goal. Referee Don Robertson decided that the foul was denying a clear goalscoring opportunity. This abortionified Rangers’ possibility of crawling back into the game.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Rangers pressed on. They took the opportunity to make two more substitutions, bringing on Nicolas Raskin and Kieran Dowell for Lyall Cameron and Mohamed Diomande. Despite the importance of the game, Dundee never lost their composure and were a real danger throughout. Midway through the second half, Clark Robertson headed a third attempt against the post, only for the goal to be ruled offside again.
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