‘It should’ve been a penalty’ – Reaction to Rangers v Panathinaikos controversy
Rangers progressed in the Champions League on Wednesday after beating Panathinaikos 3-1 on aggregate after drawing 1-1 on the night.
Rangers beat Panathinaikos 2-0 in the first leg thanks to goals from Findlay Curtis and Djeidi Gassama.
However, the Greek side did not go down without a fight and went ahead on Wednesday thanks to a goal from Filip Duricic.
Yet, Gassama emerged from the bench and scored yet again to quickly quell Panathinaikos’ momentum as Rangers then saw out the result.
Ibrox News presents the exclusive opinion of former Premier League and FIFA-listed referee Keith Hackett.
Keith Hackett believes Panathinaikos should have had a penalty v Rangers
Rangers had a shaky start against Panathinaikos, with Jack Butland having to bail the visitors out multiple times.
However, while many players were making mistakes, John Souttar almost made a costly error early on.
The defender appeared to pull Fotis Ioannidis’ shirt in the penalty area before the ball trickled down his arm.
While the opposition players protested for a penalty, these claims were quickly waved away.
Now, Keith Hackett insisted that VAR should have intervened and given a penalty to Panathinaikos.
He said: “It’s clear Souttar pulled his shirt and the referee does not have the best viewing angle to see and act.
“The pull is an offence for any which a penalty should have been awarded.
“VAR should have intervened and request the referee visit the pitchside monitor and review the offence.”
Rangers need to step up if they are to succeed in Europe
While it is early into Russell Martin’s reign, Rangers rode their luck multiple times against Panathinaikos.
The Greek side had multiple golden opportunities alongside their penalty shout and the goal which a better team would have taken.
- Rangers will face either Viktoria Plzen or Servette in the next round of the Champions League
- The Gers needs to win two ties to reach the league stage
- If not, Rangers could be relegation into the Europa League
If the Gers plan to go far in Europe, these mistakes must be cut out, or they will suffer an early exit either in the Champions League or the Europa League.
Hopefully, Martin quickly sorts these issues before they become costly.
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