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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Stewart Wilson

Cerny & Igamane among star performers as Rangers hold Tottenham to European draw

Rangers earned a deserved draw against Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League, with several players in Light Blue producing inspiring performances. 

It was an extremely end-to-end match with nothing separating the two British opponents at half-time.

But it was Rangers that struck first following the restart through Hamza Igamane before Spurs substitute Dejan Kulusevski fired in the equaliser to set up a thrilling final 15 minutes. 

Here's how the Rangers players rated at Ibrox. 

Jack Butland  - Got down quickly to deny Brennan Johnson from close range, which set a precedence for most of the evening and displayed why he's been one of Rangers' most reliable performers since joining the club during summer 2023. Looked helpless for Spurs' equaliser. 7

James Tavernier - An inspired performance from the Rangers captain, who keeps fighting back at critics who suggest his time in the starting XI should be over. Played a beautiful ball to assist Hamza Igamane. Wasn't afraid to put his body on the line with defensive challenges too. 8

(Image: PA) Robin Propper - Hasn't been trusted as a regular in the Scottish Premiership since arriving from FC Twente, yet was preferred ahead of Leon Balogun for this blockbuster encounter. And he managed to mop up any Spurs attacks fairly well all-considering. 7

John Souttar - Dealt with any Spurs trouble immaculately. Had to receive treatment around the half hour mark, much to his manager's frustration, and was forced to withdraw his participation from the match. A huge blow with a Scottish League Cup final versus Celtic just around the corner. 7

Ridvan Yilmaz - Deployed further up the left than usual, and didn't let his boss down. The 23-year-old chased everything and has clearly improved significantly over the past 12 months. 7

Jefte - Was always keen to get the ball flashed across goal at the first opportunity. Had the Spurs defence back peddling on multiple occasions. Almost headed beyond his own goalkeeper in the second half following a miscommunication but they pair managed to prevent conceding. 7

Nicolas Raskin - Caught in possession easily on 15 minutes and almost had his team in trouble. Recovered well from that shaky moment and battled strongly within the midfield. Never allowed James Maddison a sniff of time to impose himself on the game. Felt like he had unlimited energy. 8

Mohamed Diomande - Booked for a handball in the first half, which means he will now have to sit out the clash against Manchester United next month. Unlucky not to put Rangers two ahead as his goal-bound strike deflected out for a corner on 57 minutes. Seemed to fade as the game progressed. 7

Nedim Bajrami - His manager alluded to the fact that the summer recruit has rarely featured in his preferred position until this fixture. And he did thrive playing in behind the lone forward. He was willing to put a shift in both offensively and defensive which was needed for Rangers to see such success with blistering counter-attacks. 7

Vaclav Cerny - Workrate certainly couldn't be questioned. The Czech winger was a live wire from the first whistle. Tested Fraser Forster with a decent effort on 25 minutes then another shortly after and continually appeared Rangers' best out ball.  8

(Image: PA) Hamza Igamane - Gives Rangers a completely different dynamic up front compared to Cyriel Dessers. Netted a crucial opening goal straight after the restart to give the Light Blues a deserved lead. That's four in four for the young striker in the Europa League. 8

Substitutes 

Leon Balogun - Slotted in seamlessly after replacing John Souttar. Tried to head everything away from danger and provided a solid physical presence in the backline. 6

Connor Barron - Has a calmness every time he gets on the ball and is proving a real shrewd acquisition. Impetus was always to keep things ticking and get Rangers on the front foot. 6

Dujon Sterling - Played a role in ensuring Rangers finished the match with at least a point. 5

Robbie Fraser - Been on the bench in every European league stage game this season, but this was the first time he had earned minutes. A special moment for the 21-year-old full-back. 5

Cyriel Dessers - Ibrox was waiting in anticipation as he skinned two Spurs players to run through one-on-one with Fraser Forster, but the ex-Celtic goalkeeper got an important touch with his feet to deny the much-scrutinised Rangers centre-forward. He did find the net minute's later but he was quickly penalised for straying into an offside position. 6

(Image: PA)

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