Andy Halliday explodes at ‘Ridiculous’ Rangers controversy live on BBC Sportsound
Rangers dug deep to hold La Liga high flyers Athletic Bilbao to a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final at Ibrox on Thursday.
Robin Propper was sent off early in the first half, but the Light Blues stood firm to keep a clean sheet against Ernesto Valverde’s men in testing circumstances.
It was Liam Kelly who made himself a hero, though, as he saved Alex Berenguer’s penalty after VAR disallowed a goal but punished Dujon Sterling for handball.
Istvan Kovacs had a night to forget with the whistle, with VAR stepping in several times.
Andy Halliday furiously hits back at Propper after red card
Barry Ferguson’s men were handed a significant challenge to overcome when Propper was red-carded for a late tackle on Inaki Williams, as a VAR review upgraded his initial caution.
Andy Halliday could not believe the defender, saying on BBC Sportsound [20:13, 10 April]: “I think if his touch is going directly towards goal, I think we’re talking about a different scenario, I just think he’s touching it away from goal, I think there are recovering defenders.
“It’s a ridiculous tackle from Robin Propper.”
Rangers showed their class in Europe once again
Despite enduring a woeful domestic campaign, which included being knocked out of the Scottish Cup by Queen’s Park in February, the Gers are enjoying an increasingly spectacular Europa League campaign.
| Opponent | Result |
| Celtic (A) | 2-3 W |
| Dundee (H) | 3-4 W |
| Hibernian (H) | 0-2 L |
| Athletic Bilbao | 0-0 D |
The Ibrox faithful will have feared a defeat for their side when Propper was sent off early on, but Ferguson’s men showed their character to keep a strong Bilbao side at bay.
Valverde’s side boasts prolific attackers such as Nico Williams and brother Inaki Williams, with the younger star wanted by most of world football.
Bilbao then looked set to take the lead when Sterling conceded a late penalty, but yet more amazing Ibrox memories were made when Kelly got the better of any potential nerves to deny Berenguer.
With John Souttar back from suspension, Propper was likely to be dropped anyway, thankfully.
If Rangers can keep 11 men on the pitch and show the same sort of heart when they travel to Spain next week, they could be set for the Europa League semi-finals.