Rangers missed the chance to regain top spot in the Scottish Premier League after it took a last minute Kevin Thomson goal to secure a 3-3 draw against Dundee United on Tuesday.
Rangers’ long unbeaten record at Ibrox now stretches to 20 games, but the draw in this rearranged match means they have fallen two points behind league leaders Celtic.
Steven Davis had opened the scoring before a Francesco Sandaza double fired United into the lead. Sasa Papac scored his first goal for Rangers to equalize, but a second-half Scott Robertson goal looked to have given United the win before Thomson scored.
Rangers manager Walter Smith felt his side had lost some sloppy goals.
“We are disappointed at the defending. We gave up the goals a little too easy and we had to work very hard to get ours but there were a lot of pleasing things in the game,” Smith said.
Rangers fielded an unchanged side from the one which demolished Inverness 5-0 on Saturday, but United proved to be a tougher opposition and looked comfortable when in possession.
However, it was Rangers who took the lead after 10 minutes through Davis. Kenny Miller found the Northern Ireland internationalist on the edge of the box and he jinked past three defenders before unleashing a screamer past Lukasz Zaluska.
United equalized six minutes later. Morgaro Gomis slipped the ball to Sandaza, whose effort whistled past Allan McGregor low into the net from 18 yards. Kris Boyd then twice had the ball in the net, but both efforts were ruled offside.
United took the lead after 26 minutes when Spaniard Sandaza got his second of the game. Paul Dixon charged forward and found Robertson in the box whose shot was palmed away by McGregor to Sandaza, who tapped in.
Miller came close to equalizing in the 33rd minute when he robbed Sean Dillon of the ball on the byeline before racing into the box and flashing a curling effort just wide of the far post.
Rangers equalized in the 38th minute when Papac got his first goal for the club. The Bosnian internationalist took a touch after collecting a Nacho Novo chipped pass in the box before rifling the ball past Zaluska.
It took a superb one-handed save from the Polish keeper to deny Boyd in the 53rd minute when he unleashed a powerful high shot after Miller found him in the box.
But it was United who took the lead in the 58th minute when a defensive lapse allowed Robertson to score. A long throw from Dixon was missed by everyone and the midfielder was at the back post to knock it in.
Boyd should have equalized for Rangers three minutes later when Thomson found him unmarked in the box, but he hesitated before letting fly and Zaluska managed to turn it round the post.
United’s Craig Conway was terrorizing the Rangers defense down the left wing and he tried to set up Sandaza for his hat-trick in the 80th minute, but the Spaniard’s shot on the turn flew over the bar.
Rangers threw on captain Barry Ferguson and Kyle Lafferty in their quest for an equalizer, but it was Thomson who darted past several tackles before unleashing an unstoppable shot past Zaluska in injury time to give Rangers a share of the points.
Soccer officials yesterday offered “full support and assistance” to the Iranian team in Australia for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup after the US and Israel launched massive attacks on their homeland. Iran’s 26-strong squad arrived on the Gold Coast days before the strikes on Saturday killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as Washington and Tel Aviv seek to topple the Islamic republic. They are due to open their tournament today against South Korea. The AFC in a statement said it “continues to closely monitor the recent developments in the Middle East during this challenging period.” “The AFC’s foremost priority remains the welfare, safety and
ROAD RASH: Marc Marquez retired after a crash, marking the first time after 88 consecutive races stretching back to 2021 that a Ducati bike failed to make the podium Marco Bezzecchi yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening grand prix in Thailand from pole position as defending world champion Marc Marquez retired late with a buckled wheel. Aprilia’s Bezzecchi led from start to finish to top the podium in Buriram, with KTM’s Pedro Acosta second and Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez third. Ducati’s Marquez is chasing a record-equaling eighth world title this season, but he exited the race in dramatic fashion while in fourth place with five laps to go. The Spaniard, who started from second on the grid, took a corner wide, with the jolt to his bike dislodging the rear tire, badly damaging his
EVERY DAY A VICTORY: Players on the women’s team faced pressure from society just getting out onto the field as they prepare for their first Women’s Asian Cup game today Bangladesh’s national soccer team face daunting odds at their first-ever Women’s Asian Cup, but have already scored a major victory by qualifying. In the South Asian nation of 170 million, social stigma, family expectations, poverty and religious hardliners have long relegated women and girls to sports sidelines. The first women’s soccer league matches took place in 2011 and the squad, known to fans as the Red and Green, have kept pressing forward despite deeply embedded prejudices. “Many more girls would have joined us if the community had been even slightly supportive,” captain Afeida Khandaker told AFP ahead of her side’s March 3
Liverpool on Tuesday suffered an embarrassing 2-1 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers as Andre’s stoppage-time strike sealed a dramatic victory for the English Premier League’s bottom club. Arne Slot’s side fell behind to Rodrigo Gomes’ strike in the closing stages at Molineux. Mohamed Salah hauled Liverpool level with his first goal in 11 top-flight games dating back to November last year. However, Andre’s first goal for Wolves inflicted the latest humbling loss in a chastening season for Liverpool. It was the first time the Premier League’s bottom club had beaten the reigning champions since Crystal Palace defeated Chelsea in 2017. Liverpool
RSS