James Tavernier not having REAL reason that triggered burning Rangers penalty acrimony as ref bares all
The Gers full back was one of many players bemused by Istvan Kovacs's reasoning behind the spot kick call
James Tavernier reveals he was mystified by the referee's "harsh" penalty conceded by Dujon Sterling on a pulsating Europa League night.
Rangers dug deep to seal an unlikely 0-0 draw against Athletic Bilbao in the quarter-final first leg.
It was made all the more difficult given the home side ended the game with nine men due to Robin Propper's red card and a spate of injuries.
But it was Liam Kelly who stood tall when a penalty was rewarded for, to the confusion of many players and onlooking supporters, a deliberate handball.
Alex Berenguer had fired in from an offside position but VAR stepped in, Istvan Kovacs checked the monitor and disallowed the goal for offside before awarding the pen.
Players on the pitch looked bemused at the decision as Sterling appeared to have his hands in a natural position and appeared not to move them towards the ball with any intent.
Thankfully for the Glasgow giants, Kelly rose to stardom by flicking Berenguer’s penalty over the bar to create bedlam inside Ibrox.
Speaking to TNT Sports at full time, Tavernier was in no doubt about where he stood on the referee's call.
He said: "I thought the penalty was a little bit harsh because they said it was a deliberate handball from Dujon [Sterling].
"We're here to help the team, it wasn't the prettiest game but we had to dig deep and got a positive result, especially with 10 men.
"European nights always take care of themselves. It's domestically that has been our Achilles heel this season.
"The performance we put in tonight is what we have to do consistently in the league."
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