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Barry Ferguson’s Rangers are still, just about, alive in this season’s Europa League.

Before kick-off, most would’ve agreed that the Ibrox outfit required a win at home to stand a realistic chance of reaching the semi-finals.

Well, when referee István Kovács blew for full-time following a whopping 12 minutes of injury time, the Ibrox faithful celebrated the 0-0 draw with Athletic Bilbao like a victory, and with good reason.

This stalemate means the Light Blues will travel to the Basque Country next Thursday with a fighting chance of keeping this continental adventure going but it wasn’t without its stresses, that’s for sure.

Was Robin Pröpper's red card justified?

The primary reason why Rangers supporters and players alike were delighted with this first-leg goalless draw is because centre-back Robin Pröpper was sent off after just 12 minutes.

Following video review, the referee deemed that the Dutch defender had denied a clear goal-scoring opportunity when he, rather aggressively, brought down Inaki Williams on the edge of the penalty area.

Speaking during commentary on TNT Sports, Rangers legend Ally McCoist, fair to say, did not agree with this decision, describing the red card as “really harsh”, adding “he’s gone to try and win the ball… he’s been beaten by a bit of skill”.

Pröpper was only starting as a result of John Souttar’s suspension due to yellow card accumulation, meaning the Scotland international will be available to return at the heart of the Rangers’ defence in Bilbao next Thursday.

This though, is not the Dutchman’s first mishap; Aaron Nijjar of Football Insider claims his ‘performances have been marked by uncertainty’ since joining from Twente last summer.

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Not everyone in Blue performed badly…

Rangers' hero against Bilbao

The headline team news ahead of Thursday’s first leg came in goal where, following a string of error-stricken performances, Jack Butland had been dropped, with Liam Kelly donning the gloves instead.

Well, fair to say the 29-year-old repaid his manager’s faith, accumulating three high claims and making three saves, preventing an xG figure of 1.84, a large proportion of which is thanks to his penalty save late on.

As outlined by Will Unwin of the Guardian, everyone inside Ibrox ‘was confused’ when Athletic had a goal ruled out for offside, only for a penalty to be awarded instead; Dujon Sterling penalised for handball, and this one was rather harsh.

Álex Berenguer who, four and a half minutes earlier, had been celebrating in front of the 3,000 traveling Athletic supporters, elected to smash his spot-kick down the middle, only for Kelly to stick out his right boot and make a remarkable save, sparking wild scenes of celebration.

So, while Kelly was the hero, his teammate up the other end of the park did not cover himself in glory.

Rangers' frustrating front-man

Rangers assistant manager Neil McCann himself admitted last week that Cyriel Dessers ‘will always divide opinion’, which is probably a bit of an understatement if we’re honest.

Scott Bradley of Breaking The Lines describes the Nigerian as the “most frustrating player” he’s ever seen in a Rangers jersey, and Dessers did not star on Thursday, accumulating just 18 touches – fewer than the aforementioned Kelly (44) – losing possession seven times, registering just four passes and firing both of his attempts off target, albeit in difficult circumstances.

Dessers has, in fairness, been in fantastic form since Ferguson took over as interim manager, scoring five goals in eight appearances, most notably on target during the famous 3-1 victory over Fenerbahçe in İstanbul.

Nevertheless, despite the fact his centre-forward was clearly exhausted, Ferguson waited until the 85th minute before introducing Hamza Igamane.

This change surely should’ve been made earlier, with the Moroccan possibly even deserving to start in Bilbao, as these statistics underline.

Dessers vs Igamane 24/25 comparison

Stats

Dessers

Igamane

Appearances

48

39

Minutes

2,892

2.277

Goals

23

14

Assists

7

3

Europa League goals

3

4

Minutes per goal

126

163

Goals – xG (UEL only)

-2.3

+2.8

Big chances missed

26

5

Stats courtesy of Transfermarkt, FBref & SofaScore

The two statistics that jump off the page from the table above are big chances missed, Dessers have racked up a staggering 26 across the Europa League and Premiership this season, as well as the goals – xG.

In this season’s Europa League, only Malick Fofana of Olympique Lyonnais can boast a better goals – xG figure than Igamane, while only five players rank below Dessers for the same metric.

Thus, looking ahead of next Thursday’s mouthwatering return leg at San Mamés, it’s clear that Igamane is the better option to start at centre-forward.

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Posts ByTom Cunningham Apr 10, 2025

Their win at The Oval is a reminder that conversations about saving the game can begin with recognition that there is a great world out there

Andrew Fidel Fernando09-Sep-2024If Test cricket is constantly on the therapist’s couch trying to work through its never-ending existential crises, Sri Lanka are the 11 trishaws outside, incensed that Test cricket’s SUV is blocking half the lane, honking up a storm.This, at least, tends to be the Sri Lanka men’s Test side’s vision of itself, forever outsiders, forever straining against bigger powers than they could ever meaningfully have sway over.They are often justified in feeling this way. Their schedule is largely dictated by when other teams would like to play them. They would like more Test cricket but their board has genuine trouble organising a busy schedule for them. (Their own board doesn’t merely schedule the profitable tours, by the way; Sri Lanka have hosted both Afghanistan and Ireland for Tests in the last 18 months.)Related

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But this is an island of 22 million whose economy has crashed since 2021, and as such has limited financial clout, as far as brodcasters are concerned. It is also a team that fans in the biggest cricket economies – England, Australia, India – do not necessarily believe are particularly serious rivals.And so every big tour becomes a de-facto referendum on their invite-ability. Are they up to adapting to these conditions? If they won’t beat an imperious England, can they at least sufficiently resist them? Will they compete? For the first time ever, Sri Lanka were in England for the fancy part of the English summer – their August/September fixtures. For the first time in almost six years, they were playing a three-Test series.There is the pressure you feel when you go out to bat and the ball is hooping, and the slips are licking their lips. Then there is this pressure: don’t let your team down here, because if you do, no team from Sri Lanka may ever get the chance again.Sri Lanka lost day one at The Oval, their bowlers fruitless in many spells, England easing to 221 for 3 in 44.1 overs by stumps. They closed down England’s innings quickly early on day two, but still were themselves 93 for 5 in response to England’s 325, in serious danger of crashing to a 3-0 defeat.And yet there Sri Lanka are, on so many of these fighting-for-their-lives tours, finding startling comebacks, discovering bright new gems, raging against the mere idea that there should be a dying of the light. On day three, their seam-bowling demolition of England was so spectacular, and so conseqential to the outcome, it gains immediate entry to the highest halls of the nation’s Test-cricket lore. Pathum Nissanka’s ice-cold 127 off 124, bears comparison to some of the greatest Sri Lanka innings in England – particularly those played by Sanath Jayasuriya and Aravinda de Silva in that 1998 Test at the same venue.Asitha Fernando finished as the top wicket-taker of the series•Getty ImagesAnd do Tests really want to sideline, or shunt into a second tier, the likes of Asitha Fernando, who would never get called up to a Test side merely on the basis of his height and his pace – as Josh Hull sort of has for England – and yet has blasted out 17 batters to sit atop the wicket-takers list in an away series?Can it really do without the likes of Kamindu Mendis, who has struck two fiftes and a hundred across five innings in his first series in England, averaging 53.40 and striking at almost 63?How about Nissanka, who began his international career as Sri Lanka’s premiere first-class batting talent, before taking a long detour through white-ball formats to return to Tests as a fearless, and dynamic opener?There is only so much a single Sri Lanka victory can achieve. But with luck, this will be some reminder that what is good about Test cricket isn’t only a conversation about scoring at more than four runs an over. It’s not just about reverse-sweeps, reversing pressure, scooping over the shoulder, bludgeoning the bouncers, never letting the bowlers settle.Perhaps it is a reminder that conversations about saving Test cricket can begin with recognition that there is a great world out there, in which teams concoct all sorts of mad new narratives. That there is a world beyond The Ashes, or the Border-Gavaskar, or England vs India series, that is full of life and vibrance that is worth taking more seriously than cricket currently seems to be.

Five platinum players were overlooked, including Andre Russell and Faf du Plessis, with English cricketers in high demand

Andrew McGlashan29-Aug-2022Adelaide StrikersDraft signings: Rashid Khan, Colin de Grandhomme, Adam Hose
Current list: Wes Agar, Cameron Boyce, Alex Carey, Harry Conway, Colin de Grandhomme, Ryan Gibson, Travis Head, Adam Hose, Henry Hunt, Rashid Khan, Thomas Kelly, Chris Lynn, Harry Nielsen, Matt Short, Henry Thornton, Jake Weatherald (16/18 filled)The least surprising move on draft night was Strikers using their retention card for Rashid Khan when Melbourne Stars made a bid for him. They expect to get about eight games from Rashid before he heads to South Africa for the new T20 league there.However, things got interesting after Rashid was held on to. Colin de Grandhomme’s name took everyone by surprise, not because he isn’t a fine cricketer, but because his name wasn’t on the lists released earlier in the week. ESPNcricinfo understands that he had nominated in time, but his paperwork took a bit longer to work its way through. There remains some uncertainty over his availability.Adam Hose, the 29-year-old English batter, was their final selection, on the weight of some outstanding domestic numbers: Hose made 557 runs at 55.70 and a strike rate of 160.98 in this year’s T20 Blast and is also having a strong Hundred season for Northern Superchargers. He also has full availability, which added to his value and other teams were also interested in him.Overall, Strikers potentially remain a little light on pace bowling.On the move: Sam Billings will swap Sydney Thunder for Brisbane Heat•Getty ImagesBrisbane HeatDraft signings: Sam Billings, Colin Munro, Ross Whiteley
Current list: Xavier Bartlett, James Bazley, Sam Billings, Max Bryant, Sam Heazlett, Usman Khawaja, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Colin Munro, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Matt Renshaw, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, Ross Whiteley, Jack Wildermuth (16/18 filled)A solid evening’s work from Heat. Sam Billings will bring quality to the middle order – and is a superb outfielder – before leaving for the UAE in January, after Sydney Thunder opted not to use their retention option, although there is a chance he could be part of England’s Test squad in Pakistan which would mean missing early games as well.They were also able to keep hold of Colin Munro, who could have gone back to Perth Scorchers. Currently, Munro is listed as having full availability, but he does have a deal with Desert Vipers in the ILT20.Ross Whiteley, the 33-year-old English batter, is the more left-field selection but the powerful left-hander has solid T20 pedigree, though he had a lean T20 Blast for Hampshire this season. He will likely be used as a finisher.With Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne available after the Tests there is some quality batting to return for the backend.There will be a strong Pakistan contingent at Hobart Hurricanes•PCBHobart HurricanesDraft signings: Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf
Current list: Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Caleb Jewell, Shadab Khan, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Mitch Owen, Joel Paris, Wil Parker, D’Arcy Short, Matthew Wade (13/18 filled)Related

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This was fascinating from Ricky Ponting. Hurricanes have brought in three Pakistan players with the hope they will have extensive availability.Shadab, who was their platinum pick, fills a clear hole they had in the spin department [although they may still need more cover] and Asif Ali has been picked with a specific middle-order role in mind behind the likes of Ben McDermott, Matthew Wade and D’Arcy Short. He has an overall T20 strike rate of 147.85, which goes up to 158.80 at No. 5. Both could be involved in some white-ball cricket against New Zealand, but Ponting expected them to be around most of the BBL.Faheem Ashraf is in the curious position of having lost his PCB contract but still being in the frame for the Test side, which is in action during December. Hurricanes still have five slots left for domestic players.Melbourne RenegadesDraft signings: Liam Livingstone, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Akeal Hosein
Current list: Nic Maddinson, Zak Evans, Aaron Finch, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sam Harper, Mackenzie Harvey, Akeal Hosein, Liam Livingstone, Shaun Marsh, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Kane Richardson, Tom Rogers, Jon Wells (13/18 filled)They had the first pick and went with Liam Livingstone, who will bring some star quality to the middle order, although he may have to adjust to the trickier surfaces at Marvel Stadium. Where he bats remains to be seen, but top four would appear a certainty.Elsewhere, there was a strong spin focus with Renegades’ home conditions in mind. Heat decided against retaining Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who is as valuable for his economy as his wicket-taking, and he found a new home in Melbourne.Akeal Hosein, the West Indies left-arm spinner who has a T20 economy rate of 6.44, was their final name and, with him and Mujeeb having ILT20 deals, it means Renegades will lose all three signings during the season. They also have plenty of room left in their 18-player squad, and are currently light on pace bowling.Trent Boult will bring high-quality pace to Stars•BCCIMelbourne StarsDraft signings: Trent Boult, Joe Clarke, Luke Wood
Current list: Trent Boult, Joe Burns, Hilton Cartwright, Joe Clarke, Brody Couch, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Liam Hatcher, Clint Hinchliffe, Nick Larkin, Glenn Maxwell, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Beau Webster, Luke Wood, Adam Zampa (15/18 filled)Stars were quick to go for Trent Boult after the expected retention of Rashid by Strikers and he should make a big impression with the new ball before heading to the UAE.After that, they delved into the English game. It had been widely expected that they would go for Joe Clarke again, because he offered them the wicketkeeping option they needed in the squad and has full availability. He made a very strong impression with the club last season amid the Covid chaos.Luke Wood, the Lancashire seamer, offers another left-arm option with full availability. David Hussey knows him from his days at Nottinghamshire. He was selected in England’s ODI squad for the Netherlands series earlier this year.It was no surprise that Perth Scorchers went for Laurie Evans•Cricket Australia via Getty ImagesPerth ScorchersDraft signings: Laurie Evans, Phil Salt, Tymal Mills
Current list: Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Cooper Connolly, Laurie Evans, Aaron Hardie, Peter Hatzoglou, Nick Hobson, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Matt Kelly, Mitch Marsh, Tymal Mills, Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Phil Salt, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye (18/18 filled)They were tipped to skip platinum and did just that despite David Willey’s availability. They used their retention option to keep Laurie Evans, who played the match-winning innings of last year’s final, after Sydney Sixers picked him, with his full availability a huge factor.Phil Salt, who has previously played for Strikers and is also likely to be around most of the tournament, although he may be on England duty at the backend, has been drafted in. But Scorchers will now get Cameron Green after the Tests.Left-armer Tymal Mills, another Scorchers player from last season, adds an edge to the bowling attack if he can stay fit. Their list is complete except for any replacements. They will hope to see plenty of Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh and Jhye Richardson, now that expanded Test squads aren’t required.James Vince will again line up for Sydney Sixers, but only for part of the tournament•Getty ImagesSydney SixersDraft signings: Chris Jordan, James Vince, Izharulhaq Naveed
Current list: Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Daniel Christian, Ben Dwarshuis, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Chris Jordan, Hayden Kerr, Nathan Lyon, Izharulhaq Naveed, Stephen O’Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Josh Philippe, Jordan Silk, James Vince (15/18 filled)Two very expected names and a bit of a bolter.Sixers know what they get from Chris Jordan and James Vince and very much like it, despite their limited availability. Jordan forms a strong line-up of quicks alongside Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Ben Dwarshuis and last year’s breakout star Hayden Kerr. Vince can resume his opening pairing with Josh Philippe until January.The left-field pick was young Afghanistan spinner Izharulhaq Naveed, who coach Greg Shipperd appeared very excited about. Nathan Lyon will return after the Tests and there remains hope that Steven Smith could still join him despite declining an initial offer.David Willey was the one platinum player with complete availability•Getty ImagesSydney ThunderDraft signings: David Willey, Alex Hales, Rilee Rossouw
Current list: Ollie Davies, Brendan Doggett, Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Alex Hales, Baxter Holt, Nathan McAndrew, Alex Ross, Rilee Rossouw, Daniel Sams, Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha, David Warner, David Willey (14/18 filled)This feels like a very strong draft from Thunder.They have a versatile allrounder in David Willey, who is available all tournament, the power and known quality of Alex Hales for a decent chunk, and the left-handed Rilee Rossouw to slot into the middle order before the South Africa league.Losing both Hales and Rossouw will make batting replacements key, but David Warner will come in at the top for the last five regular season matches. Could probably do with some more pace options.

Senior seamer and star allrounder lead way in England’s comeback, while openers were also on song

George Dobell29-Jul-20209Stuart Broad (73 runs at 73.00; 16 wickets at 10.93)
It speaks volumes for Broad that a campaign which started with him being omitted from the team for the first Test, ended with him named Player of the Series. After producing a match-turning spell in the second Test, he came up with a match-winning one in the third, achieving his best bowling performance since January 2016 and a first ten-wicket match since 2013. He also thrashed 62 – his highest score for seven years and the fifth quickest half-century in England’s Test history – in the process and became just the seventh man to reach the 500-wicket milestone.8.5Ben Stokes
Although England lost his maiden Test as captain, Stokes took some brave decisions over selection and the toss in Southampton which might have been vindicated if his side had batted better. Spurred on by his own failure to convert two starts in that match, Stokes was outstanding in the second Test. After producing a disciplined century in the first innings – his longest innings in first-class cricket – he thumped the fastest half-century by an England opener in Test history in the second to set-up the declaration. He also claimed some key wickets in filling in for Jofra Archer as England’s middle-order enforcer. Played the third match as a specialist batsman.7.5Chris Woakes (1 run at 0.50; 11 wickets at 16.63)
Sharp, skilful and consistent, Woakes would have taken the new ball for years in another playing age. But, destined to spend much of his career in the shadow of Broad and Anderson, he has to be content with a supporting role and occasional days in the spotlight. In this series, he generated bounce and lateral movement and claimed a five-for in the final innings of the series. His grim form with the bat continues, though: only once in his last nine Test innings has he made more than 6.Dom Sibley (226 runs at 45.20)
In reaching 50 three times in five innings, Sibley demonstrated the solidity and consistency for which England have been looking for some time. Yes, there were two ducks as well, but occasional failures are probably inevitable for an opening batsmen. His century in Manchester went a long way towards laying the platform for his side’s victory. Since he came into the side in November, England have registered 400 four times (and 391 for 8 declared on another); before that, they had only managed it once since the start of 2018. His partnership with Burns looks as though it’s here to stay.Dom Sibley is congratulated by Ben Stokes after reaching his hundred•Gareth Copley/Getty Images7Rory Burns (234 runs at 46.80)
By reaching 30 in four of his five innings this series, Burns played his part in seeing off the new ball and the bowlers at their freshest. While he may be frustrated at not going on to make a significant score, he showed a welcome ability to accelerate when required in Manchester. He scored two half-centuries in the match and was part of England’s first century opening stand at home in four years.6James Anderson (5 wickets at 30.00)
Looked England’s best bowler in the first innings in Southampton and, after being rested for the second Test, bowled nicely without reward in the third. Is it relevant that he didn’t take a second wicket in either Test? We’ll see. The skills and control remain as good as ever but it could be he takes just a little longer to recover between spells these days.Dom Bess (83 runs at 83.00; 5 wickets at 41.60)
England are asking a lot of Bess to front their spin attack at such a young age (he celebrated his 23rd birthday during the series). Bowled nicely enough without enjoying much fortune. The batting average is boosted by three not-outs, but he showed both ability and selflessness in batting with the tail and accelerating to set-up declarations. And, as his final day run-out showed, he is excellent in the field.Jos Buttler (151 runs at 30.20; 12 catches)
Buttler went some way towards repaying the faith of the England selectors with an innings of 67 – his first half-century in 15 innings – in the final Test. He had looked relatively comfortable with the bat in previous games, but twice fell in the second Test as he tried to increase the rate of scoring. Dropped one chance in Southampton, but generally kept tidily.Ollie Pope (134 runs at 33.50)A match-defining innings of 91 in the final Test was the highlight of a slightly disappointing campaign. Before that, his highest innings in the series was 12. But expectations probably have to be tempered by the memory Pope is just 22. He impressed in the field and took an excellent catch at short leg to clinch the second Test.Joe Root (130 runs at 43.33)
A series in which he was dismissed three times between the score of 17 and 23 – twice run-outs – can only be described as frustrating. But while Root missed out on a major score with the bat, he will have been pleased by the way his team responded to going 1-0 down after he missed the first Test on paternity leave. He looked in decent touch in hitting an unbeaten 68 while setting up the declaration in the third Test, too.Joe Root talks to head coach Chris Silverwood during a practice session•Getty Images5.5Sam Curran (17 runs at 17.00; 3 wickets at 33.33)
If Curran had to be content with a supporting role in his only Test of the series, his angle and variations contributed three wickets and sustained his remarkable record: England have won all eight home Tests in which he has appeared.5Jofra Archer (4 wickets at 50.50)
Bowled a little better than the figures suggest. Archer produced a couple of really impressive spells at Southampton and fulfilled the role of enforcer in the final Test. He may remember the series most, however, for his unauthorised trip home between the first and second matches and the disciplinary action than ensued; he’s lost a mark here for making himself unavailable for the second Test. It need not be anything more than a footnote to his career.Zak Crawley (97 runs at 24.25)
An innings of 76 in Southampton helped Crawley win the battle for selection ahead of Denly. He was unable to take advantage, however, with two cheap dismissal in the second Test – he fell attempting to set-up the declaration in the second innings – and he was left out to make space for another bowler in the final Test. Still best placed to bat at No. 3 in the Pakistan series.Mark Wood
Preferred to Broad and Woakes in Southampton, Wood bowled with impressive pace on a slow wicket passing 90mph as often in his 20th over as he did in his first. The pitch probably didn’t suit him and the wickets didn’t come, but Wood will have days when he is the key man for England.4Joe Denly (47 runs at 23.50)
There was never any doubting Denly’s determination but, after a weakness against the ball nipping back through the gate was exposed once more in the first Test, he was the one to pay the price for England’s defeat. By then he had played 15 Tests without a century, and his average had dropped below 30. Despite adding some grit to England’s top order, he had been unable to register the significant personal score which would have cemented his place.