Rangers: Bobby Madden shares verdict on controversial incident in Benfica draw
Bobby Madden has shared his verdict on the most controversial moment during Rangers’ 2-2 draw with Benfica in the Europa League on Thursday (7 March).
The Portuguese giants were awarded a penalty against John Souttar, who was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the penalty area, following a lengthy VAR check.
Angel Di Maria stepped up to slot the spot-kick past Jack Butland, cancelling out Tom Lawrence’s early opener, which was just the start of a thriller in Lisbon ahead of a second leg at Ibrox.
Taking to his personal Instagram account on Friday (8 March), the ex-FIFA referee said: “The first clip sees the ball being played by the defender onto their own arm. This should not be punishable.”
Can Rangers claim a victory in the reverse fixture against Benfica?
With the full backing of the Ibrox crowd, Philippe Clement should have every bit of confidence that his side can claim the victory and progress further in the European competition.
However, this will not take away from the fact that Benfica were awarded an extremely controversial penalty, one that should not have been awarded.
Souttar was extremely hard done by against Benfica during what was a decent start to the match, although confidence took a hit after the penalty was scored.
Dujon Sterling delivered a bolt of joy back to the squad, putting Rangers back ahead in the tie moments before the half-time whistle sounded, but an own goal from Connor Goldson could not be stopped.
There is a certain group of fans that seem to believe that there is an agenda towards the Gers and Celtic in the Scottish Premiership, but the decision in Lisbon would suggest the complete opposite.
If a former FIFA referee has disagreed with the decision, it can be argued that someone has messed up during the game.
In other Rangers news, a journalist has mooted a potential Ibrox exit as the Gers look to kickstart their player-trading model.
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