Huge Rangers call fuels conspiracy theorists as Ibrox side finally run out of Europa League luck in Bilbao

Athletic Bilbao remain on course to keep a date with destiny at their own stadium in May. However, no one will convince Rangers fans and most other reasonable-minded observers that they were not patsies in a concerted effort to help the Basque side achieve this dream of winning the Europa League on their own turf.

How else do you explain the failure to award the visitors a penalty in the first half for a tug on Cyriel Dessers by Dani Vivian? Not only was it not awarded, but the incident was not even deemed to be worthy of a second look by the VAR team despite the obvious evidence of a foul having been committed. Dessers’ midriff was exposed by a gaping rip in his shirt.

It seemed like an open and shut case. A pull of the jersey in the box: penalty. Dessers had looked odds on to get the ball after it was deflected into his path. Vivian’s attempt to halt him was borne out of desperation.

The Rangers players are floored by defeat in Bilbao. | PA

The ball took some time to go out after the incident. Most felt it was just a matter of time before referee Irfan Peljto was invited to review a replay on a pitch-side monitor. But when the ball did eventually go dead all that happened was Dessers being shown a yellow card for leaving the pitch to change his shirt without permission.

Rangers’ pain was compounded further when Athletic took the lead in the tie on the stroke of half-time – from the penalty spot of course. This was at least a valid award with John Souttar tripping Maroan Sannadi after he had allowed the striker to get on the wrong side of him. Peljto, from Bosnia-Herzegovina, pointed quickly to the spot and Oihan Sancet was handed the ball by Alex Berenguer, who had of course seen his penalty saved by Liam Kelly in the first leg at Ibrox. Sancet was clinical, sending the ball into the right-hand corner of Kelly’s goal with the ‘keeper diving the other way.

A flourish of Basque dreadlocks floors Rangers

The hosts were on their way. A header from Nico Williams, the best player on the park, after 80 minutes sealed their berth in the last four. Skipper James Tavernier, who played well otherwise, switched off and at this level such lapses are inevitably costly. Williams latched gleefully onto Oscar De Marcos’ cross and left Kelly grappling thin air as he bulleted into the net in a flourish of dreadlocks.

Athletic now face one more tie for the right to return to their own stadium on 21 May. No-one is saying it should be Rangers vying for a place in the final – Athletic were the better team. But the visitors had chances. They were in the tie right up until the final ten minutes and even hit the post after 57 minutes through Nico Raskin.

Dessers had caused some chaos in the Athletic goalmouth with an attempted overhead kick and the Belgian midfielder pounced only to see his shot deflect off goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala onto the post.

Whatever luck Rangers have enjoyed in this European campaign was well and truly absent here. The visitors were forced into an early change when Ridvan Yilmaz was forced off after 23 minutes and replaced by Connor Barron, which necessitated a tactical reshuffle. Worse followed at the start of the second half. Having just made the decision to replace Ianis Hagi with centre-half Clinton Nsiala, Barry Ferguson, the Rangers interim manager, watched in disbelief as Souttar and Leon Balogun went for the same ball in an effort to clear their lines. Balogun took a blow to the side of his face and had to be withdrawn and kicked a post in frustration as he was led off.

Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers holds his head in disbelief. | PA

Hamza Igamane was summoned from the bench, cue another tactical reshuffle. It might not have been what Ferguson had wanted to do at this juncture – it was just three minutes into the second half. But with two strikers on the pitch Rangers were now compelled to force the issue against a side with the best defensive record in La Liga. At least Rangers still had eleven men on this occasion although enforced personnel changes throughout the 90 minutes challenged Ferguson and his coaching assistants as their interim period in charge reached its supreme and perhaps conclusive test.

They are left to ruminate on a bewildering refereeing decision that might well have changed the course of the evening and tie - and even the coaching staff’s long-term future at Ibrox. In the final analysis they and Rangers will know it was not quite good enough from them on the night. They are, though, within their rights to wonder what if?