Kieran Dowell slammed over ‘lazy’ incident in Rangers win v Panathinaikos
Rangers secured an excellent 2-0 win over Panathinaikos in Russell Martin’s first competitive match in charge.
The Gers saw off the Greek giants at Ibrox and ensured they overcame a slow start in the game to get their noses in front in the tie.
Findlay Curtis netted a superb strike early into the second half, before Djeidi Gassma doubled the lead with a blockbuster from distance to hand Rangers a crucial advantage to take to Athens next Tuesday (22 July).
Martin’s charges were far from perfect despite the victory, and there were plenty of elements to the performance that the former Southampton and Swansea boss will be looking to iron out as soon as possible.
Neil McCann takes aim at Kieran Dowell after penalty appeal
Martin will be delighted with the outcome of his first competitive Rangers assignment, but the game won’t have passed without concern for the 39-year-old.
His side struggled to settle in the early stages and kept giving the ball away in dangerous areas of their own half.
Set pieces proved to be another glaring issue for the Govan outfit, and their visitors almost capitalised on their poor organisation from dead balls on several occasions.
On one such instance, referee Donatas Rumsas waved away a penalty appeal from Panathinaikos midway through the first half, following a challenge from Kieran Dowell in the second phase of a free-kick from the away side.
Those appeals were quickly waved away, but that didn’t stop Premier Sports co-commentator Neil McCann from taking aim at Dowell for his efforts to defend the box.
“It’s a lazy foot hung out there by Dowell,” the former Rangers winger said on Premier Sports 1 on Tuesday night.
“But I really don’t see anything in that. He gets the shot away, and I don’t see anything in this.”
Rangers will be satisfied with their lead
There was plenty of pressure on Rangers heading into the tie, but they must surely be happy with the lead they have built for themselves.
They had their task made easier by Giorgos Vagiannidis’ 58th-minute red card, but a two-goal advantage is a commanding lead, even with the away leg still to come.
There will perhaps be a slight element of regret that the Ibrox outfit couldn’t stretch their lead a little further with the numerical advantage, but it should still be enough to see them safely through to the next round of qualifying, barring a remarkable collapse next week.
Martin will know there is plenty to work on before the second leg, but in the end, it was a fairly comfortable night for the new boss and his side.
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