How Rangers showed outstanding resilience to overcome injuries and VAR controversy in dramatic 4-3 win over Antwerp

On a night when Steven Gerrard’s emotions must have ebbed and flowed in tandem with the breathless action which unfolded in front of him at the Bosuil Stadium, Rangers put themselves in pole position to reach the last 16 of the Europa League.

Joe Aribo celebrates giving Rangers the lead in Antwerp with their 100th goal of this season. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

A quite extraordinary contest of unrelenting drama saw Borna Barisic’s second penalty kick of the match claim a 90th-minute winner for Gerrard’s team in a seven-goal thriller.

It was an evening of VAR controversy as Rangers, leading through a Joe Aribo goal, trailed 2-1 at half-time after a disputed penalty award to Royal Antwerp.

The tumultuous action saw Rangers lose captain James Tavernier and Kemar Roofe to injury but their resilience was impressive as they hit back through Barisic’s first spot kick and then, after falling behind again and facing only a second defeat of their season, levelled once more through Ryan Kent before grabbing the late winner.

Lior Refaelov puts Antwerp 2-1 ahead from the penalty spot in first half stoppage time of the dramatic Europa League tie against Rangers in Belgium. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

If the injuries to two key players clouded the night for Gerrard, he will have been thrilled by the courage of his side who will fancy themselves to finish the job against Antwerp at Ibrox next Thursday.

Tavernier damaged his right knee while in a typically advanced position, making a challenge on Martin Hongla just outside the Antwerp penalty area.

It was immediately clear he had sustained a significant injury and while it was to his credit that he tried to play on, it was no surprise when had to be replaced by Leon Balogun.

Tavernier is as robust as they come but the irony of the situation was that his natural deputy, teenage right-back Nathan Patterson, is one of the five Rangers players currently facing disciplinary proceedings for a breach of coronavirus protocols last weekend.

Borna Barisic levels the score at 2-2 for Rangers with his first penalty kick of the night in Antwerp. (Photo by VIRGINIE LEFOUR/BELGA/AFP via Getty Images)

The loss of their skipper didn’t disrupt Rangers too severely at a period of the first half in which they had been taking control of proceedings in the middle of the park and beginning to look the more threatening side after an evenly matched first 20 minutes or so.

Before Aribo put them ahead in the 38th minute, they had passed up a couple of other decent opportunities. Roofe dwelled too long on the ball after being played in by Aribo and was crowded out.

A superb through ball from Borna Barisic then allowed Alfredo Morelos to beat a sloppy offside line by the Antwerp defence and the striker should have done better than drive his shot straight at Alireza Beiranvand.

It was a decent enough save from Antwerp’s Iranian goalkeeper but he was badly at fault when Rangers did make the breakthrough.

As he advanced from his line to beat Roofe to a long through ball from Connor Goldson, he spilled it at the feet of Morelos. Beiranvand’s attempt to retrieve the situation saw Morelos tumble and the ball break into the path of Aribo who showed great composure to guide it home from around 22 yards.

It seemed as if Gerrard’s men were on course to go in at the break in a hugely satisfying position but things began to unravel when Barisic needlessly conceded a free-kick with a foul on Refaelov. The Israeli playmaker’s free-kick delivery was superb, picking out Avenatti who gave Allan McGregor no chance with a precise header.

Four minutes of stoppage time had been added before Roofe became Rangers’ second unwanted casualty of the night, limping off to be replaced by Ryan Kent.

An extra seven minutes had been played when referee Kabakov had no hesitation in pointing to the spot when Refaelov went down theatrically under the slightest of touches from Steven Davis.

It looked soft but was enough to also persuade German official Felix Zwayer, the man in charge of VAR who had earlier ruled out a decent Rangers penalty claim for handball against Pieter Gerkens, and Refaelov stepped up to beat McGregor convincingly.

If Rangers were feeling a sense of injustice, they utilised it to good effect after the break as they emerged on the front foot and reimposed themselves on an Antwerp side who looked content to try and simply protect their lead.

Rangers made it 2-2 when a VAR decision finally did go in their favour. Antwerp captain Ritchie De Laet’s blatant tug on the shirt of Morelos as the striker tried to get a header on goal was missed by Kabakov. But after being invited to review the incident on the pitchside monitor, the penalty was awarded and, in the absence of regular taker Tavernier, it was Barisic who stepped up to mark his 100th appearance for Rangers with a goal.

The momentum looked to be firmly with them again but instead they were undone by another piece of sloppy defensive work. Antwerp had too much space and time as Refaelov laid the ball into the path of Hongla who curled a fine shot beyond McGregor’s right hand into the corner of the net from 20 yards.

It was a test of character for Rangers and their response saw them pass it with flying colours. They made it 3-3 in the 83rd minute with a magnificent goal from Kent, the winger playing a one-two with Morelos and bending a shot beyond substitute goalkeeper Ortwin De Wolf.

It was a scoreline which would have made Rangers firm favourites to progress but they probed hungrily for a winner. In the 90th minute, Abdoulaye Seck blocked a Kent shot with a hand. It was a second yellow card of the night for the big defender and Barisic made an even more emphatic conversion with his second spot-kick.

Royal Antwerp (3-4-2-1): Beiranvand (De Wolf 77), Seck, Le Marchand, De Laet; Buta, Boya (Verstraete 69), Hongla (Gelin 90+1), Lukaku; Refaelov, Gerkens (Miyoshi 90+1); Avenatti. Subs not used: Chevaughn, Nsimba, Ampomah, Pavlic, Van Den Bosch.

Rangers (4-3-3): McGregor, Tavernier (Balogun 25), Goldson, Helander, Barisic; Arfield (Hagi 74), Davis, Kamara (Jack 74); Aribo, Morelos, Roofe (Kent 45+5). Subs not used: McLaughlin, Itten, Wright, Stewart, Simpson.

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