Dujon Sterling calls out desperate referee after Rangers controversy v Nice
Dujon Sterling has called out the referee despite Rangers thrashing OGC Nice 4-1 in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday.
The Light Blues cruised past the Ligue 1 side in France on 28 November, but things might have been different had Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea’s decision to award the hosts a penalty just six minutes into the game been upheld after a VAR check.
He inspected three different incidents, including a possible handball from Sterling, on the monitor before ultimately reversing his call, prompting the right-back to call him “desperate”.
“Good European performance from the boys, great atmosphere from fans”, Sterling wrote on X [29 November].
“By the way, anyone know why the ref was desperate to give them a pen [penalty]?”
Dujon Sterling calls out desperate referee after Rangers controversy v Nice
The 25-year-old staked a claim to start ahead of James Tavernier in St. Johnstone on Sunday [1 December], grabbing the assist for Mohamed Diomande’s goal, but should perhaps be careful when making statements against referees.
Nevertheless, the Gers will be delighted to come away with all three points and more importantly, a win that takes some pressure off their shoulders.
Philippe Clement’s side have come in for a lot of criticism for their underwhelming performances this season, particularly in domestic competitions. However, they showed they are more than capable of putting teams like Nice to the sword on their day.
Hamza Igamane grabbed headlines for Rangers after grabbing a brace and an assist, while Vaclav Cerny continued his fine run of form with a goal.
Cyriel Dessers will now be seriously worried about his place in Clement’s regular starting XI. Not only did Igamane shine in the number nine role, but also the Nigeria international missed a sitter after coming on in the second half.
In other Rangers news, this BBC pundit was blown away by what Sterling’s teammate did on one occasion on Thursday.
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