Rangers 1-1 Tottenham: 'Lost tourists ransacked by ruthless hosts in Europa League'
"Revived Rangers Thwart Spurs' Tourists"
Cyriel Dessers was stopped by ex-Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Forster in the closing moments of the match.
The main sports reporter for BBC Scotland at Ibrox Stadium.
It's amazing how silent almost 50,000 individuals can be.
Ibrox, typically buzzing with energy throughout the night, went quiet with just five minutes remaining when Cyriel Dessers spun past Archie Gray, seeming poised to secure a victory for Rangers.
In that brief moment, the stadium became completely silent. It was as quiet as a mouse sneaking around a library filled with a group of monks who were all trying to stay hushed.
Dessers performed exceptionally well, but it still wasn't quite enough. This city is well-acquainted with the outstanding goalkeeping skills of Fraser Forster. During his time at Celtic, he consistently made remarkable saves against some of Europe's top players.
Although the Rangers forward isn't typically categorized as one of those players, the save was still significant.
It's safe to say that a 1-1 draw, instead of the victory they were hoping for, didn't really brighten the mood for Spurs. However, the situation could have been much worse for the visiting team, who likely got more out of the match than they were entitled to.
'Spurs: Tourists In A Hostile City'
Picture Ange Postecoglou spending the entire week reminding his Tottenham squad about the challenges they would face at Ibrox, emphasizing the tough contest that awaited them.
Despite his impressive record as Celtic's manager, Postecoglou has managed to secure victory here just once out of four attempts. He was well aware of this, but his players had no idea.
They showed up like travelers wandering through an unfriendly city. It seemed as though they believed that Rangers would be in awe of a wealthy Premier League team.
Slow, sluggish, and lacking energy when in control. Also, always being overwhelmed and taken apart.
The impressive Nicolas Raskin caught Rodrigo Bentancur off guard right from the start, which certainly caught your attention. It was an exciting moment that energized the fans, but the question remained: could Rangers maintain that level of effort and physical play? How long could they keep up that intensity?
Pedro Porro was taken down by Jefte and Raskin, and once again, he was easily sidestepped by Yves Bissouma. Spurs appeared completely out of their depth. They seemed fragile, lacking in toughness and preparation, while Rangers were fully geared up for the match.
No matter what the Spurs anticipated from the Rangers, one thing was certain: they would come out with intensity. While they might not have known for sure about the level of skill they’d face, the Rangers definitely brought a lot of passion and determination to the game.
Spurs fought hard to earn a 'crucial point' - Postecoglou
On the sidelines, Postecoglou was animated, somehow managing to gesture frantically in multiple directions all at once, moving with a fluidity that was completely beyond the comprehension of the players he was criticizing.
The atmosphere at Ibrox was electric while the opposing team struggled. Radu Dragusin sent a pass out of bounds. Timo Werner consistently lost possession of the ball. Brennan Johnson was quickly taken off the ball and seemed to be panting as if he was already exhausted.
It had been just over half an hour, and Tottenham found themselves in a difficult situation.
Small instances sent the home crowd into a frenzy. James Maddison attempted a cross-field pass with the outside of his right foot aimed at Werner, but Vaclav Cerny easily cut it off.
Rephrasing and avoiding any strong language, the overall sentiment from Rangers fans was: "Keep the flashy displays for the south, kid."
Raskin and his group of outlaws continued to take action, relentlessly pushing forward despite the threats posed by their rivals.
Werner was physically present, but his heart wasn't in the game. Under the pressure from the Rangers, he made a series of errors. Johnson experienced the same fate—he managed to get involved, but then quickly lost possession and was subsequently substituted, just like Werner.
"Rangers: A Long-Awaited Comeback"
Kulusevski came on as a last resort substitution at halftime and really made an impact. However, prior to his entrance, Rangers put them through some tough moments.
Just two minutes into the second half, James Tavernier, the captain who had been struggling lately, made an impressive play by evading Johnson and sending a perfectly curved pass towards Igamane.
The forward, who had been quite underwhelming until now, capped off the moment in style. It was well-earned. Rangers had dominated in every aspect up to that moment, and now they finally had the advantage to prove it.
Perhaps the Spurs were in disbelief at what they witnessed. And they might not have been the only ones. The Rangers have shown signs of improvement recently, but their progress has been somewhat gentle.
The players who had recently demanded the removal of their coach, Philippe Clement, were now quiet, but this peace was fragile and could easily break if any issues arose again.
Clement feels both proud and let down by the draw against Spurs.
This Rangers team had been absent from the spotlight for some time. They played aggressively, yet displayed impressive ball skills. Quick and dangerous in attack, they also managed to hold their ground defensively, even following the significant blow of losing their top defender, John Souttar, within just the first half hour.
This Ibrox was powerful as well. It was filled with loud cheers, ecstatic joy, and furious anger—a chaotic sea of sound that was hard to ignore.
Throughout the match, Postecoglou gestured wildly and turned away in anger whenever one of his players – and there were quite a few – made a backward pass.
He had a strong group of players to rely on. Kulusevski played a crucial role in turning the game around. Dominic Solanke also made a significant impact during the recovery effort. Both of them contributed to the goal that leveled the score, with Kulusevski scoring the finish.
Postecoglou remained largely still. Perhaps his heart was filled with joy, or perhaps it wasn't.
The next 15 minutes were chaotic and turbulent. Solanke nearly scored, but Tavernier made a crucial defensive play to stop him.
That was the opportunity for Dessers. It was the pivotal moment, or at least it could have been.
Forster was able to secure their release, but Postecoglou is still facing scrutiny. With only one victory in the last eight matches, things don’t look good for his defense.
This weekend, Rangers are set to face Postecoglou's former team in the League Cup final, which is expected to be an exciting matchup.
A few weeks ago, it seemed like the final match would be an easy win for Celtic. However, now things have changed. If Rangers can carry forward their recent performance, they’ll definitely have a chance to make an impact.
