Ten-man Rangers battled to a hard-earned 0-0 draw against Athletic Club in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final, with goalkeeper Liam Kelly emerging as the hero on his competition debut.
The match turned against Rangers early when Robin Propper saw red in the 12th minute for a foul on Nico Williams, upgraded from yellow after a VAR review.
Despite the setback, the home side stood firm and nearly grabbed the opener through Cyriel Dessers.
Athletic dominated possession but struggled to break down the depleted Scottish side, with Kelly producing key saves to deny Maroan Sannadi and Oihan Sancet. Sannadi later squandered a golden chance, blazing over from close range.
The Basque side thought they’d found the breakthrough when Alex Berenguer scored in the 76th minute, only for VAR to rule out the goal for offside in the build-up.
Moments later, a handball by Dujon Sterling gave Berenguer a chance from the spot but Kelly’s legs deflected the penalty over the bar to preserve the draw.
Despite 12 minutes of added time and relentless pressure, Athletic couldn’t capitalise on their numerical advantage. Rangers now head to Bilbao for the second leg with renewed belief and all to play for.
