Forget Jose Mourinho’s Bilbao conspiracies, Rangers star Robin Propper’s red card was all his own fault says Bill Leckie
IN the cinema room of an Istanbul penthouse apartment, Jose Mourinho was screaming: I told you so.
Hadn’t he called it?
Hadn’t he come in after Fenerbahce had lost at Ibrox on penalties and predicted that UEFA would do anything to make sure Bilbao made it to the final in their own stadium?
Hadn’t his old Roma side gone there that same night 2-1 up from the home leg, only to have Mats Hummels sent off inside 11 minutes and go out on aggregate?
And what was he watching now?
Rangers having a man sent off inside 12 minutes. The Basques having a goal disallowed for offside, only to be handed a second chance from the penalty spot?
The Special One must have been in his swivel-eyed element as this remarkable tie unfolded and the Ibrox faithful rode of rollercoaster of thunderous anticipation, unbridled fury, utter confusion, sheer ecstasy and – most of all – a pride that couldn’t have been any further from the shame that had flooded through them in defeat to Hibs on Saturday.
Except…well, I’m sorry to spoil his conspiracy theory.
But what we witnessed here was nothing to do with Europe’s ruling blazers pulling the strings.
Fact is, Robin Propper’s red card was 100 per cent down to…Robin Propper.
Fact is, Dujon Sterling handled the ball seconds before the flag went up to rule out what sub Alex Berenguer thought was a 78th minute opener.
Fact is, Rangers caused their own problems at both of the game’s key incidents – and, to their eternal credit, they somehow managed to dig themselves back out of the mire.
For a minutes or so, it looked as though their Dutch centre-back might get away with the omnishambles that saw him bring down Inaki Williams when the winger’s next touch would have been a clear shot at goal.
First he’d a hospital pass square to Leon Balogun, who cleared in a panic straight to a red shirt. Next thing, the ball arrowed into the feet of winger Williams and across lumbered the Dutchman to take him out at the shins.
The wall had been built and the visitors were still deciding who’d hit the free-kick by the time VAR Catalin Popa called ref Istvan Kovacs to the monitor. As soon as he did, though, you knew what was coming; he’d have a second look, go to the top pocket and the guilty man would be off.
Talk about a Propper passion killer?
In an instant, all the thunder and the excitement and the optimism of a quite astounding build-up to kick-off went phut amidst a storm of boos and a forest of fists waved at the Romanian whistler.
And as the mood swung manically, Barry Ferguson just stood there on the touchline, helpless.
He’d left his players without a name after Hibs had handed them their fifth home defeat on the spin at the weekend. He’d gathered them round him on Monday for the fullest and frankest of debriefs. He’d delivered on his promise to make difficult selections by dropping keeper Jack Butland after the latest in a pile of costly blunders.
But there was nothing he could have done to avoid what had just happened before his disbelieving eyes. No manager can legislate for a player being that slack that early in this big a game.
So all he could do was take a breath, rejig the guys who were left and hope for the best.
That in the end the guys who were left ground out a result that would have been more than acceptable with 11 men never mind ten?
WHAT DID JOSE SAY?
"The final is in Bilbao. The road to Bilbao.
"I don't know what happened today with Roma, I just know that after 10 minutes, Roma were playing with 10 men.
"So, honestly, I think if Rangers do it against Bilbao, it would be phenomenal because it's going to be very hard."
Let’s just say he wouldn’t be able to say that THIS wasn’t a real Rangers team.
They bit, they scratched, they dug deeper and deeper for those 90 minutes plus the 12 added on because of a nasty injury to young Bailey Rice and the chaos that followed the offside goal/penalty. They weren’t pretty, they created virtually nothing.
But by goodness, they gave themselves a hell of a chance to make the last four. And who would have predicted that when they were down to ten with 78 minutes left?
Not yer man Jose, that’s for sure.
Then again, his conspiracy theory didn’t take one wonderful element of football into consideration – the ability of the unlikeliest player to steal the show.
Step forward Liam Kelly, drafted in because of Butland’s collapse in form, to play his first European tie since Motherwell were embarrassed by Sligo Rovers in July 2022.
His flying first half tip over from Marouan Sannadi was crucial. The way he clutched Oihan Sancet’s powerful header from the corner that followed spread confidence right through the stadium.
His stop from Berenguer’s spot kick, diving right and flicking up a leg to sent the ball over the bar?
It will go down in legend.
And who knows, maybe so will next week.
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