That then, is us. Thanks for your company and comments – stay safe out there.
Gosh, I’d not fancy the away leg if i was Steven Gerrard. It’s close enough so that Leverkusen can’t slack, but not close enough so that his team have any kind of chance. Eeesh.
Here’s our report from Ibrox Stadium.
In Athens, Pedro Neto grabbed Wolves an equaliser, so they’ll take a 1-1 draw back to Molineux (in theory).
What’s especially impressive about Leverkusen is that they can play in a variety of ways and with a variety of players. They need to move the ball quicker – United and Inter won’t let them pick their passes, and will defend better – but they’re a lot of fun to watch.
Full-time: Rangers 1-3 Bayer Leverkusen
Rangers gave it a good go in the second half, and will probably rue how long it took them to get going. But the reality is that they were outclassed, and Leverkusen looked to have another gear that they didn’t need. That, then, is Rangers’ season.
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90+2 min There’s a fair chance that Leverkusen are the best side in this competition. I’d expect one of them, Man United and whoever wins the Getafe-Inter tie to win this thing, if we ever get to that point.
90+1 min Morelos moves the ball across the face of the box to Hagi, who turns dextrously and shoots low ... but too close to Hradecky.
90 min There’ll be three additional minutes.
LOVELY GOAL! Rangers 1-3 Bayer Leverkusen (Bailey 88)
Diaby plays a deft one-two off Havertz and moves the ball left to Bailey, who looks to go on the outside of Polster, then chops behind his standing leg and absolutely rips a screecher that curls high into the far side-netting. That’s the tie.
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88 min Hagi receives the ball in centrefield on the half-turn and immediately sweeps a clever ball in behind for Morelos; Hradecky, though, is alive to it and charges out to slide clear.
87 min Leverkusen win a corner which Bailey swings out, Edmundson heading away but straight back to him; he crosses again, and this time Golsdon heads away.
85 min Kamberi breaks into space so Diaby pulls him back and is booked. That’s the seventh yellow card of what hasn’t been a dirty game, but it’s hard to argue that any of them weren’t merited.
85 min Final change for Rangers, Polster for Tavernier. Tavernier’s done well, considering.
83 min “I’m sure I’m not the only one to whom it has occurred that it’s a high-risk approach to a tie to go two down at home then go for three late goals,” says Paul Connelly. “But it worked last time for the Rangers, and they seem to be trying it again. Hard to believe they’ll pull it off twice in a row.”
In fairness, tonight they started playing at 0-1, not 0-2. What they need is the opposite of the bloke in every Sunday league team who shouts “It’s 0-0!” when it’s actually 32-6.
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82 min Baumgartlinger replaces Aranguiz, who’s been excellent.
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81 min Hagi slides away from Weiser, who bites back and looks to take the ball cleanly, but he’s booked and, like Kamara and Aranguiz, will miss the second leg.
80 min Aranguiz curls over the wall ... and McGregor looks like he’s just watching it, before imparting the touch which takes it onto the face of the bar! The ball bounces kindly for Rangers, and they get it away.
79 min Good from Bailey, rinsing Tavernier on the outside on halfway and nashing away towards the box. Kent is in pursuit, and can’t help but fall into him on the left corner of the box; he’s booked.
78 min Barisic picks the near post, arcing up and over the wall ... but ruffling the wrong side of the side-netting. At the other end, some think it’s in, which is always a joy.
77 min Bailey gives it away and Hagi finds Kent, who teases Wendell with a stepover then sways inside him, buying the free-kick, 22 yards out, right of centre. Wendell is booked, and Barisic right fancies this...
GOAL! Rangers 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen (Edmundson 75)
Well! Tavernier smacks a flat, hard one towards the penalty spot and Edmundson rises unchallenged to guide a header in off the far post! We go again!
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75 min Rangers win a corner down the right....
73 min Hagi is caught in possession and Havertz powers away, so Hagi hacks him hand his hbooked.
71 min “Daniel, no reflection on you OBVIOUSLY”, doth protest too muches Charles Antaki, “but I’m not enjoying this much; and if this is the kind of football that we shall have to forgo if all competitions are called off, then fine.”
I’ve not minded this so much, but LASK-United was not easy to watch. Ultimately, we’ve no context because we don’t even know if the second leg’s going to be, never mind the staggering denouement.
69 min I imagine Leverkusen will move to four at the back now.
68 min A change apiece: Hagi replaces Kamara, and Paulinho replaces Tapsoba.
GOAL! Rangers 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen (Aranguiz 66)
What a finish this is! Diaby swerves in an excellent cross that Tavernier bins, leaping and flicking. But the clearance drops perfectly for Aranguiz who, on the move, tucks home a half-volley inside the near post like it’s an absolute slice of urine, which it was not, the footballing equivalent of the walk-off knockout. That’ll be hard to take for Rangers, who were “in a good moment”, but that’s also European fitba.
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65 min Leverkusen already look better with Baily on the pitch and win a corner down the right which bobbles about in the air before Aranguiz tries an overhead ... which Davis, stood on the far post, bundles behind.
63 min Rangers are absolutely coming! They get it wide again, to Tavernier down the right, and he cracks a low cross towards Morelos ... but Tah reads it brilliantly to nip in front and clear.
62 min Leverkusen bring on Bailey for Bellarabi, which looks like a good change to me; yerman has been ineffective, and the roaming power of yer other man seems a better option.
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61 min Rangers are stepping it up here! They’ve got Leverkusen pinned back by getting their wide players higher, and are finding good angles to move the ball infield.
60 min It’s funny when you get a team like Leverkusen did, full of players you’ve never heard of, who turn out to be Lucio, Ballack, Basturk, Berbatov and Ze Roberto.
58 min “I can’t see the words ‘Steven Gerrard’ and ‘Leverkusen’ without seeing Michael Ballack dummying to shoot, Gerrard sliding to block the shot, and the two of them ending up about 8 yards apart as Ballack carefully chose his spot,” says Matt Dony. “One of the most effective feints in history. It set Leverkusen up to win the game. It was heartbreaking to see Liverpool exit the Champions League that year (which feels familiar), but at least it led indirectly to THAT Zidane volley. Which made the world a better place.”
I saw Leverkusen that season too, when they knocked Manchester United out in the semis. Roy Keane’s team-mates conceded twice after going ahead, in his absence, and then when he scored in the return allowed an equaliser. But, as you say, it earned us something special.
58 min In Athens, 10-man Olymipacos lead Wolves 1-0. Follow along here:
56 min Tavernier’s corner is a good one too, aimed at Morelos; he can’t quite get to it, and the ball plays Tah’s arm on its way behind. The next corner comes to nothing, but this is much better from Rangers.
55 min This is more like it from Rangers, Tavernier driving at the heart of the Leverkusen defence and flicking a reverse-all in behind for Morelos! he’s onto it and rams hard at the near post area, but Hradecky stick out a hand and palms behind.
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54 min A mini-flurry from Rangers, mmmm McFlurry, and Kent sins Diaby down the right before heaving over a cross that Morelos stretches to reach. He gets a foot on it, but can’t impart enough purchase to stop the ball sliding off it and away.
54 min Kamberi replaces Aribo, who’s not been able to get into the game.
53 min Demirbay swerves this one way beyond the far post, but Leverkusen quickly win the ball back when Rangers go short from the goalkick. This time, Demirbay swipes a shot away tae Forfar.
52 min Weiser ploughs forward again and keeps going when he moves it on, reappearing on the flank to run onto Aranguiz’s ball into space. He cuts back and earns a corner, which begets another.
50 min Hradecky misjudges a backpass which excites the crowd and tells you plenty about how seldom Rangers have threatened. He slides down by his post to clear.
49 min Nice from Leverkusen, Weiser progressing down the right and standing up a cross seeking Bellarabi, but Edmundson manages to insert a head between man and ball.
48 min Goldson jumps with Diaby and leaves a souvenir on his bonce, but he’ll be fine.
47 min Davis looks to drive forward and the crowd roar him on, but without options he has to check.
46 min We go again....
“The quality of that pitch” says Oliver Driesen. “Jesus! There seem to be European cities where it rains even more than here in Hamburg.”
Yes and apologies – I meant to note this when I noticed at kick-off. Also, it’s funny you should say this – a mate of mine was lamenting his Glaswegian childhood just the other day, saying he had a permanent cold for the first 18 years of his life. On the plus side, his accent and vernacular are blinders.
Half-time reading (2):
Half-time reading (1):
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Half-time: Rangers 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen
Leverkusen are much better than Rangers, obviously, but haven’t threatened much. Rangers haven’t created anything themselves, but if they gamble and press high up the pitch, it’s far from inconceivable that they might score.
45+1 min Leverkusen pass to pass the time.
45 min There’ll be two added minutes.
45 min Leverkusen knock it about the back line, playing for half-time, and nearly get caught when Rangers decide to press. They should do that more often, because it’s difficult to create with so little of the ball, especially when it’s won close to their own penalty box.
43 min If Leverkusen can add snap to their passing, they can finish this tie tonight, but if Rangers up the aggression – not in terms of kicking, but in terms of getting men forward and forcing the issue - they might just find something.
41 min “I’m just glad the football-loving public, me included, get to settle down to a game,” darshans Ezra Finkelstein, “a breath of fresh air to all the doom and gloom the coronavirus has sucked us all into.”
I’m afraid that sometimes things are all doom and gloom, and we need to address them, not misdirect ourselves. I cannot believe that we’re still playing, much as I wish it was the sensible thing to do.
40 min Fired with righteous indignation, Rangers bang the ball into the box and Golson is up, heading into Tah’s back. Shouts for a penalty duly follow, but nothing doing.
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38 min That’ll be so frustrating to Rangers, because other than the fact that it came, that goal wasn’t coming, and arose out of nothing. If the ball misses Edmundson’s hand, it doesn’t find an attacker. Ultimately, the law needs a rethink: not just what constitutes handball, but what constitutes a penalty. The way I’d do it: if someone has a chance to shoot at goal, it’s a penalty wherever on the pitch the infraction happened, and if not, it’s a free-kick.
GOAL! Rangers 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen (Havertz pen, 37)
This is done with real swagger. McGregor dives to his left, so Havertz rolls, left-footed, down the middle.
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37 min PENALTY TO LEVERKUSEN!
Yup. It was, and Havertz places the ball on the spot...
36 min Edmundson was close to Aranguiz, but his arm was bent at the elbow and his hand was shoulder-height; he made himself bigger. The laws say that’s a penalty, though perhaps they shouldn’t.
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34 min Edmundson loses a high ball on the right of the box and Aranguiz hoys it into the air; Goldson clears behind, but what’s this? The ball clipped Edmundson’s hand first, and this does not look good; the hand was up, close to the body but not where it should’ve been and the ref comes over to watch some telly!
32 min There’s not a lot coming to pass here. Rangers should take that as their cue to get themselves and the ball forward.
31 min Olympiacos and Wolves is still goalless, but the home side have just had Semedo sent off. Nick Ames has the latest here:
30 min A bit of scrapping by Tavernier gets the crowd excited, and then Davis spreads play to Kent, but Tapsova is there to sweep clear.
29 min Leverkusen move the ball nicely, but a bit too slowly. They’re not making it difficult for Rangers, for whom Kamara drives forward ... until Demirbay runs into his trailing leg. He’s booked, and will also miss the second leg; why bother?
26 min A quiet period, before lovely feet from Havertz makes space in midfield, weaving him around two challenges. Leverkusen need to get him on the ball, and he’s coming deeper to find it now.
24 min Leverkusen haven’t created much, for all their possession; 0-0 would be a barry result for Rangers.
22 min Barisic drives at Weiser, skipping inside him, and gratefully accepting the hack. Barisic duly humps the free-kick over the far goalline.
21 min Tah drives a ball into Diaby, who movesferim well, but Edmundson is in quickly to tackle.
20 min Weiser slides in to take the ball away from Kamara, who proceeds with his challenge as though nothing happened, sagely applying studs to ankle. He’s booked, and will miss the second leg.
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19 min Talking of Wendells, a word to the wise: Wendell Pierce’s Desert Island Discs is absolutely sensational.
18 min Can someone please confirm that Wendell’s dressing-room nickname is “Mr”. Thanks.
17 min Wendell crosses low and well from the left but no one gambles and Rangers break, Morelos chasing after a ball and looking likely before Tah eases him out of it.
16 min ...is how long it took for Alex Rae to suggest someone rattle someone. The tackles have been “a bit tepid”, he reckons, which is to say no one has been bousted in the heed.
15 min Bellarabi has picked up a knock, but signals to the bench that he’s alright. Meanwhile, his team have had 75 percent possession.
13 min It’s pretty easy for the visitors at the moment but, thick as this sounds, that might not be awful for Rangers; Leverkusen forgetting they’re in a game is one of their most likely routes to a result.
12 min More possession for Leverkusen, moving Rangers side to side. There’s not a lot of pressing action, so Morelos gets involved, which sounds like the start of a very scary story.
10 min Demirbay’s corner is rubbish but so is the eventuating clearance, and he collects between touchline and box, sending Arfield out for a deep-fried Mars bar with one simple sway. That opens the angle for a curling howitzer which nestles gloriously inside the top-corner stanchion, but his imagination is bigger than his precision and the shot flies wide.
9 min Nice from Leverkusen, Tapsoba sliding a ball inside Tavernier for Wendell, who clips back looking for Havertz. He can’t quite find him but Bellarabi collects and his shot is deflected behind for a corner.
8 min The pitch is covered in red, white and blue confetti. I’m choking up here, and will conduct the remainder of this MBM from a standing position.
7 min And I once had the privilege of seeing him involved in this.
5 min Alex Rae is in co-commentary. He once did this.
4 min But this is good from Rangers, Davis collecting the ball in centrefield and bursting past Dragovic, who clatters him and Morelos in one. Rangers take the opportunity to get Kent into the game down the left, before Tapsoba classily robs Aribo.
3 min This has settled into a pattern quicksmart, Leverkusen with the ball and Rangers sitting off.
2 min Have a look! Demirbay is given all manner of time to drill a luscious, er, diag towards the far post, where Bellarabi waits. But he can’t control his volley, sending it over the top.
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1 min There are two big exclusion zones either side of the away fans, which seems a bit much. And certainly different from the first time I went to Ibrox, where the fans were separated by a low fence and a row of stewards, leading to the exchange of various projectiles.
1 min Ok, off we go!
“Rangers are gonna have to weather a storm at times,” says Chris Sutton. I’m not sure that’s how storms work, but here come the players. The commentator starts by bragging about how corona has stopped teams playing, but “here, the show goes on”. I think I might cry.
Ok, they’ve got plastic flags, proper bin-bag jobs. But there’s still some good noise going.
I’d expect a good old row inside Ibrox tonight. There’ll need to be.
Rangers.
United ended up edging LASK 5-0. In other English team news, you can follow Olympiakos-Wolves here:
Steven Gerrard, dressed in classic Rangers school uniform of v-neck and tie, tells BT that his players need to find a level that allows them to compete. Braga played a back five, so his team know what to do against that, and his team need to do what they did in the second half of that first leg from the start tonight. He says that playing Tavernier is a bit of a risk as he’s not trained, and that the team need to inspire the fans.
Mason Greenwood has just put Manchester United 4-0 up in Linz, with another mortifyingly accomplished finish. You can follow the end of that here.
This was a great moment.
🔥 @EuropaLeague nights at Ibrox. pic.twitter.com/9ugo5grGvQ
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) March 12, 2020
I’m still trying to construct a narrative that ends with Rangers not getting done here. I’m struggling. Perhaps they start fast, get the ball wide and into the box, and Leverkusen panic. I know I sound like yerda, but that’s all I’ve got I’m afraid - there’s just a huge disparity in quality between the sides.
We’re now rhapsodising Havertz, and the more I think about this, the more evens on Leverkusen to win looks hilarious.
On BT, we’re watching VT of Morelos, one of my favourites of football’s current crop of nutters. He’s not quite got the ability to justify it, which is great – he does it entirely lishma, for it’s own sake.
Ibrox Stadium is one of my favourites, and the Main Stand is one of the reasons why – it’s an absolute work of art.
Elsewhere:
Eintracht Frankfurt 0-2 FC Basel
Istanbul Basaksehir 0-0 FC Copenhagen
LASK 0-2 Manchester United
You can follow the third of those right here:
For those of you wondering.
There’s a load of ability in this Leverkusen side. Tah has a high reputation, Demirbay’s top level is a good level, and Havertz is an absolute brute, with a lovely touch. Their 3-5-2 looks a decent ruse as well, because it means they won’t lose the numbers game in midfield and two strikers plus Havertz sounds like a difficult night for Goldson and Edmundson.
Leverkusen, meanwhile, are without the injured Bender – Dragovic comes in – while Baumgartlinger and Paulinho drop to the bench, Tah and Demirbay replacing them.
Steven “Steven” Gerrard makes two changes from the weekend win at Ross County: at right-back, Tavernier replaces Polster – I imagine Gerrard appreciates his ability to delivery quality balls into the box – and Aribo replaces Hagi, presumably because this Gerrard hopes to outrun Leverkusen, rather than out-art them.
Teams...
Glasgow Rangers (an implacably confident 4-3-3): McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Edmundson, Barisic; kamara, Davis, Arfield; Aribo, Kent, Morelos. Subs: Foderingham, Polster, Halliday, Katic, Ojo, Hagi, Kamberi.
Bayer Leverkusen (a bespoke 3-5-2): Hradecky; Tah, Dragovic, Tapsoba; Weiser, Havertz, Aranguiz, Demirbay, Wendell; Bellarabi, Diaby. Subs: Ozcan, Paulinho, Bailey, Baumgartlinger, Palacios, Stanilewicz, Azhil.
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Preamble
What’s going on? Why are we here? What is the point? Questions that trouble the most profound of perpetual teenagers on a daily basis, but which have far greater resonance today. It’s impossible to know where this is all going: will the second leg happen? Will the competition be completed? Will anyone care by the time that happens? But here we are, so here we are.
Rangers have struggled in the league recently, chucking away points faster than Steven Gerrard can dispense blame, but their performance against Braga in the last round of this competition was magnificent. They were thoroughly outclassed in the first leg, somehow coming back from 0-2 down to win 3-2 on a memorable Ibrox night, before a confident, disciplined performance saw them not only qualify but record a seriously impressive away win in the process.
Tonight, though, they face an entirely different proposition. Leverkusen are a serious outfit and have beaten Dortmund, Bayern and Atlético this season, as well as beating Porto in both legs of the last 32. They’re also in form, having won four of their last five league games – the draw in that run came away to Leipzig – beat Eintracht Frankfurt 4-0 at the weekend – and in Kai Havertz have one of the best young players in the world. Roughly, it’s impossible to see a way for Rangers in this tie, except as the most profound of perpetual teenagers will tell you, the world often fails to do what it’s meant to.
Kick-off: 8pm GMT
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