And here’s Ewan Murray’s report to close us out. Thanks for reading.
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Heroic goalkeeper Allan McGregor speaks.
At half-time, we would bit someone’s hand off for it. We limited them to shots outside the box. They never looked like scoring and we could have scored ourselves. [On the Ekambi save] It’s just luck, you make yourself as big as you can. [On the sending off]I thought it was the wrong man and he was very quick to do it. The boys knew what to do, in the second half we were brilliant. To have a possible chance to qualify is very good.
Full-time: Rangers 0-0 Villarreal
And that is it. Rangers get the point that leaves them still alive. They were good for the point, and Allan McGregor did not deserve to be on the losing side. Villarreal a little disappointing in truth, and lacked quality in the final third. What does this mean for Rangers? Win in Austria and they go through. It means everything to them, oh Vienna.
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90+3 mins: The last throw of the dice. Villarreal get a corner that Rangers dispute. They do, though, get it clear and after a couple of hacks and hoofs, that looks to be it.
90+2 mins: Just three minutes were added on, which seems a little low. Not that Rangers would be complaining.
90 mins: Into injury time where Ross McCrorie comes on to replace Lassana Coulibaly.
89 mins: Flanagan is booked for a hacking foul on Chukwueze. That leads to a free-kick right on the touchline. Cazorla takes and it is - sorry, Charles - utter rubbish. Cheers from the home fans. Oh, Santi,
88 mins: Chance for Funes Mori! Oh, what a chance. Morlanes’ shot was only parried by McGregor and the former Ev legend had the goal gaping. Somehow, he missed.
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87 mins: There was a brief chance to breathe when Lafferty dropped deep to win the ball back but Arfield’s no-look pass was to nobody.
85 mins: Some hurried defending from Jack and Flanagan gets the ball clear as Villarreal push for the winner. Rangers’ brief burst looks to be over.
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84 mins: Charles Antaki emails in: “Whatever happens, the game is already a pleasure to Arsenal fans who remember Santi Cazorla with great fondness. That he comes on and plays at all is a not-so-minor miracle.” Fair point, well made.
83 mins: Jaume takes the free-kick and it’s hopeless. Cheers from the home fans.
82 mins: Another save by McGregor, as Chukwueze cuts in, and pings a shot in. Chukwueze then wins a free-kick after a tired foul by Arfield, who does look utterly cream crackered.
80 mins: Rangers are looking for a winner here. Villarreal look the more tired. Middleton’s ball in almost finds Arfield as the Spanish team start to panic. Good voice from the home fans, too.
79 mins: Ooof! Lafferty breathes the chance and gives it the hammer. Fine save from Fernandez denies him.
78 mins: Rangers sub: Off comes Morelos for Lafferty. The striker missed out on the yellow card that would have kept him from playing in Vienna.
76 mins: Oh no! Rangers had the ball in the net but it will not count. Tavernier’s ball finds Middleton, who smashes in. He was, though, very much offside and the celebrations are curtailed.
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75 mins: Boos aplenty as Gaspar bodychecks Flanagan and is not booked. Referee Matej Jug better not stop for a jar in Govan.
74 mins: Rangers now running down blind alleys whenever they get the ball. That is causing them more problems than when they are defending. Kyle Lafferty is warming up. Will he be the 11th hour hero?
73 mins: Final Villarreal sub. Off come Fornals and on comes Chukwueze the teenager.
71 mins: The corner is cleared and Rangers, now pinning themselves a little too far back, are defending well enough but giving themselves little in the way of margin for error.
70 mins: Villarreal go on the counter and win another corner. They will make their final sub; Chukwueze is due on any minute.
68 mins: Morelos is now living a hermit-like existence up front. He has nobody close to him and can’t hold the ball up for long.
66 mins: Cazorla’s first touch is not great as he gets a chance to play in a team-mate from a promising position on the edge of the box, he overhits his pass to much jollity among the home fans.
65 mins: First sighter for Moreno, from distance, and McGregor is equal to the task. Rangers manage to buy some time with a free-kick, which they deliberate over. Tavernier smashes it in, but the ball is cleared with some ease.
63 mins: Arfield makes a fine if a little risky tackle on Ekambi, who is prevented from cutting in to shoot.
62 mins: Villarreal sniffing blood with that shift of personnel? Almost certainly so. Cazorla should increase the quality of their passing.
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61 mins: Here comes Santi, on for Trigueros, and off goes Bacca for Gerard Moreno.
59 mins: Santi Cazorla is imminent for Villarreal. Meanwhile, his team almost find the goal they have been looking for when Goldson gets himself into a tangle. Bacca nearly poked home but with nerves jangling, the ball was cleared.
58 mins: Villarreal are, it has to be said, a little powderpuff. McGregor again comes to the rescue when sliding in to stop another Ekambi run. At the other end, Middleton fires in a shot, but it spins over and wide.
55 mins: Goldson has to clear off the line. Ekambi chips the ball back, Bacca heads across goal and Goldson to the rescue. Villarreal are piling it on somewhat.
54 mins: Caseres booed on every touch. The home fans have his number. And they have some right on their side. Candeias was daft to chuck himself in there, mind.
52 mins: Another save from McGregor, this time from Gaspar’s skidding shot. Not as tough as the first-half pair he made, but vital nonetheless.
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51 mins: It has been bitty so far. Rangers perhaps looking to spoil ahead of play. That wasn’t the case in the first half.
49 mins: The direction of travel has to be more Villarreal than the Light Blues, it has to be expected. Villarreal don’t look rushed, though.
48 mins: Worth mentioning the playacting from Caseres that sealed Candeias’ fate; he grabbed his face when neither Candeias nor Morelos had been anywhere near his coupon. There is a word for that, but it won’t be shared with this family audience.
47 mins: Rangers begin on the front foot as if Steven has lobbed a flea into their ears. Their first corner is cleared after a couple of fresh air shots.
46 mins: We are back underway, but Rangers are now understrength. Can Rangers see this one out?
John McGonagle emails in: “I’m amused by the references to “Steven”, Walter Smith used to be referred to by the adoring Scottish media as “Walter”, e.g. “Walter has left Scotland in the middle of a qualification campaign, to return to Rangers” :-)“
He has to be football’s most famous Steven. Why was it never Steve?
Half-time: Rangers 0-0 Villarreal
45 mins: Boos ring out. Steven was not happy, and Candeias was incandescent with rage. The boos get louder when Morelos is fouled. And boos ring out when the half finishes. It ends up with the referee, a Mr Jug, being surrounded. Rancour all round.
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Red card for Rangers!
44 mins: Oh dear, Candeias gets a second yellow card. There is some confusion after he and Morelos sandwiched Caseres. It looked like Morelos actually made the foul but after some delay and some totting up from the Slovenian ref, Candeias takes his leave.
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42 mins: Steven is not happy with the officiating...and he might have been unhappier had McGregor not bailed out his team with a superb, reflex save from Ekambi. That came from a poor pass from Flanagan across the field.
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41 mins: Another free-kick, Jaume Costa piles into Candeias. Now’s the time to get the ball into the mixer but Rangers lose the head tennis session that follows.
39 mins: Candeias escapes down the left wing, and finds the space to whip in a cross. Morelos, the target, cannot get to the ball.
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38 mins: Some good quality linesman rage from one of the home fans. You could not see someone so offside but still the young man felt duty bound to rain down his, er, opinion on the matter.
36 mins: The home fans sing for Arfield to the tune of the Banana Splits theme. Middleton takes the free-kick and again Goldson makes a mess of a chance when failing to direct his header. Soon after that, Candeias joins Gaspar in the yellow card department.
35 mins: First booking for Gaspar, who fouls the ever busy Arfield around 40 yards from goal.
34 mins: So, both teams have had chances, and neither have looked like scoring them. Ekambi should have done better with that chance for Villarreal.
32 mins: Now Villarreal have their best chance so far. Ekambi escapes the offside trap, and is clear on goal. Allan McGregor makes a fine one-on-one save; that was a let-off and excellent from the Rangers keeper.
30 mins: Rangers’ best chance so far. Joe Worrall heads down and Goldson slashes over the bar. Steven is not happy on the sideline. Not happy at all.
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29 mins: A rare Rangers attack down the left. Middleton’s ball comes in and Arfield’s header ends up being cleared.
27 mins: Worrall had to hack behind when Flanagan and McGregor got tangled up. That’s another corner for Villarreal, which is not very good and easily cleared.
25 mins: The pattern of the game is Rangers’ wildcat attacks, which peter out quickly, and Villarreal’s chess-like football which looks a little lacking in incision.
23 mins: Here come Villarreal, trying to string some passes together, but Rangers hack clear, only to invite another attack. Bacca gets to the byline, and Ekambi shoots wide. Fornals looked the better bet for the shot but presumably his call for it was not heard.
22 mins: Better from Rangers. Candeias’s pass finds Morelos, who cuts inside to find time and space to shoot. The ball spinnakers behind from a corner that Tavernier heads over. Just after that, Arfield makes another cogent run, only for Villarreal to clear.
20 mins: Trigueros looks a real class act for Villarreal, skating through midfield, where he is hacked down by Ryan Jack.
19 mins: This game doesn’t feel like it will end goalless but neither has exactly impressed in attack.
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17 mins: Home fans are buoyant, keeping the drum beats rolling. Morelos concedes a free-kick in the Villarreal box which was a waste of decent territory.
15 mins: As it stands in this group, Rangers are second in the group....meanwhile, Arfield’s ball causes a bit of Villarreal confusion, but they manage to clear their lines.
14 mins: At last, a Rangers attack. Tavernier wins a free-kick after nice work from both Arfield and Ryan Jack. Tavernier takes it himself and it is, frankly, terrible.
13 mins: Another Rangers foul, this time from Flanagan. They are stacking up now. That first yellow card cannot be far off.
11 mins: Rangers hanging on a bit here. Fornals is fouled by Middleton, having been fooled by a nutmeg. Another free-kick. Trigueros’s kick comes in and Bacca jumps up for it, but can only head into his own hand. Wasteful, really.
9 mins: Ooof, close. Ekambi escapes down the inside-right channel and fizzes the ball across; Bacca slid in but couldn’t get to it. A warning sign for Rangers.
8 mins: Flanagan clears the danger when Alvaro threatened to get on the end of that free-kick.
7 mins: So, there could be openings in that Villarreal defence. But Middleton fouls Gaspar by pulling him back and is penalised but not booked. That was a let-off for the Gers.
5 mins: Villarreal settle into a pattern of passing. Rangers looking to play on the counter....but here comes a chance for Arfield. He takes down the ball and swings in a shot that goes straight at the Villarreal goalie. Good control and touch but the shot was not quite good enough.
3 mins: Scott Arfield drifts offside when Tavernier played a through ball. Moments later, Morelos does the same.
2 mins: Rangers start off with plenty of scurrying and harrying but Villarreal have the first attack. Flanagan managed to put off Bacca, just when it seemed as if the Colombian had a sniff of a chance.
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1 min: We are off and talking of trips down memory lane, Ramiro Funes Mori, Everton legend, is in that Villarreal defence. Stevie G asks his team to get stuck in.
Ok, here we go. The players are heading to the field. By the way, that Rapid Vienna win took them from bottom of the group right to the top. There is all to play for in Group G.
Celtic got the job done and won in Norway; Rangers, it’s over to you.
And Arsenal’s kids have enjoyed their redirected match in Kiev. They’ve stepped off the gas a bit after breezing through the first half, but they have got the job done.
Good news from Trondheim, to use the stylings of Clive Tyldesley when he used to mention scorelines from other British clubs, that Celtic are winning 1-0 at Rosenborg and the Red Bull derby is going Salzburg’s way against Leipzig. That could put Brendan’s Bhoys in a very solid second spot.
Update from Adam, a Rangers fan: “Might want to check the results in group G, you’re posting about the Spartak/Vienna game as if it’s not already happened on. “A draw would keeps hopes faintly alive, and Rapid Vienna away is the final fixture. Defeat, combined with a win for Spartak Moscow at home to Rapid, would eliminate Rangers.” They lost 2-1 to Rapid in an early kick off, so Rangers can advance from the group mathematically with a loss here and a win in Vienna, as long as Villarreal win or draw against Spartak at home.”
Thanks, Adam.
Those wanting to roll back the years with Santi Cazorla will be made to wait; he is on the bench tonight. Your “oh him” recognition can be taken up by Carlos Bacca instead. Talking of the blessed Santi, here’s a superb interview as carried out by Sid “Jogi” Lowe.
Steven has made four changes for the clash with Villarreal at Ibrox. Joe Worrall, Jon “Flanno” Flanagan, Lassana Coulibaly and Alfredo “Suarez” Morelos all came in with Gareth McAuley, Andy Halliday, Ovie Ejaria and Kyle Lafferty making way.
If you want some Stevie G content, then nowhere better to start than his interview with Donald McRae, who helped him with his actually rather decent autobiography.
And a review of his recent biopic here.
And in analogue fashion.
Rangers: McGregor, Tavernier, Worrall, Goldson, Flanagan, Coulibaly, Jack, Arfield, Candeias, Morelos, Middleton.
Subs: Foderingham, Ejaria, Halliday, Ross McCrorie, Grezda, McAuley, Lafferty.
Villarreal: Fernandez, Mario, Alvaro, Funes Mori, Jaume, Caseres, Morlanes, Trigueros, Fornals, Toko Ekambi, Bacca.
Subs: Sergio Asenjo, Gerard, Sansone, Pedraza, Cazorla, Bonera, Chukwueze.
Referee: Matej Jug (Slovenia)
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The teams are in
Social media versions first.
🆕 Your #RangersFC team for tonight's @EuropaLeague match. pic.twitter.com/d6BI84F4bD
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) November 29, 2018
#UEL | Here's our starting XI to face @RangersFC at Ibrox in Glasgow 🏴 (9pm CET). Endavant! 💪 pic.twitter.com/3waqK7vYRX
— Villarreal CF English (@Eng_Villarreal) November 29, 2018
Preamble
This needs to be one of those famous European nights at Ibrox - something in short supply for the last decade or so - if Steven Gerrard’s Rangers are to be entered into the draw for the Europa League knock-out rounds. A draw would keeps hopes faintly alive, and Rapid Vienna away is the final fixture. Defeat, combined with a win for Spartak Moscow at home to Rapid, would eliminate Rangers. “It’s crucial we don’t lose,” said Steven this week, which seems a bit defeatist, though he also promised to “bring our A game and max out”. Perhaps Alfredo Morelos is the man for this occasion; Gerrard has compared his striker to Luis Suárez. Yes, that Luis Suárez. Had Rangers not lost 4-3 at Spartak having been in the lead three times, then this might have been the chance to book progress. As it is, Villarreal are one of those teams who used to be referred to as a “crack Spanish outfit” in days gone by though are 16th in La Liga, and Sunday’s defeat of Real Betis was their first win a calendar month. Should he start, it will be a delight to see Santi Cazorla back on British soil.
