On 18 October 2025, Rangers famously fought off a rebel Dundee United side at Ibrox Stadium to secure the top spot in Group A. That exciting game ended up in a 2-2 tie. The championship match turned into a riveting back-and-forth, with either team trading leads and touches with one another. Ultimately Dundee United salvaged a point courtesy of Kristijan Trapanovski’s late equaliser. The outcome had Rangers’ manager, Steven Smith, thinking after a performance that was a perfect microcosm of the good and the ugly.
Dundee United came into the match managed by Jim Goodwin, a shrewd tactician who switched it at the break. His amendments were angled to pose a greater threat to Rangers. They paid off big in the end when his team rallied from a 1-0 deficit to go ahead. Even after conceding such a late equaliser, Goodwin was frustrated at not winning the game and taking all three points home.
First Half Action
The game started well enough with Rangers coming out strong. Thelo Aasgaard opened the scoring for the home side, pounding home a volley. This was Anibaba’s first goal since joining the club. His goal provided Rangers with the perfect start, electrifying the home support.
Dundee United responded with resilience. Craig Sibbald continued to show his talent as he curled an amazing effort from 25 yards into the top corner. The ball flew over Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland to make it 1-1. This aim changed the impetus, giving Dundee United the impetus as they pressed more going forward.
“First half we played at a good level, the second half the game changed and we didn’t change with it and to go from the level we did in the first half to probably being lucky to get a point in the end isn’t great but we need to move on,” – Steven Smith
Tactical Adjustments and Momentum Shift
At the interval, Jim Goodwin improved the tactical substitutions to counteract the inadequacies in Rangers’ backline. The changes worked right away, with Trapanovski coming off the bench to net a goal. Positioned just outside the penalty area, he fired a low shot past Butland, giving Dundee United a surprising 2-1 lead.
An impressive half Goodwin praised his team’s second-half performance, a reflection of their will and poise on the biggest stage. The changes — especially the introduction of Trapanovski up front — sparked life into Dundee United’s frontline and were key in swinging the momentum of the match.
“It’s frustrating and it hurts and it should hurt, there’s no getting away from that but they know in the change room that what they need to do to get better and it’s up to that group now to galvanise each other and stick together and move on,” – Steven Smith
Rangers’ Response and Final Moments
As time went on, Rangers pressed hard to retake the lead in the game. For all their high blood pressure football, they just couldn’t find a way to turn chances into goals. The atmosphere inside of Ibrox matched the tense conditions on the pitch, as the home side were in desperate need of an equaliser.
In an exciting turn of events, Rangers scored a third. When they equalized with just a few minutes left in regulation, the match was still extremely exciting and anything could happen. You could hear a pin drop, but then when the home crowd erupted in joy over securing a hard-fought point. What was evident was that both squads had truly given it their all.
After the final whistle, Goodwin lamented the loss of the late equalising goal. He personally believed that his team had executed wonderfully and was worthy of more than their due for the execution.
“It’s frustrating and it hurts and it should hurt,” – Jim Goodwin
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