What a game
What a game. Hammer and tongs, full throated, no holds barred. It was a joy to watch unless, I guess, you are a Rangers or Spurs supporter in which case it would have been squeaky bum time at the end.
Ange Postecoglou made crucial substitutions which turned the game. Spurs looked so much more of an attacking force in the second half. They managed to press better and looked like scoring. Which they did.
Congratulations also to Rangers for a thoroughly entertaining and hard fought draw.
That’s all from me tonight. Hope you enjoyed it. How couldn’t you?
Full time!
With Rangers about to take the free kick the referee blows the final whistle and it’s a draw.
90 mins (+2): Free kick for Rangers. Chance to lob it into the box.
Updated
90 mins (+2): We have only one minute to go.
90 mins: Another free kick to Spurs comes to nothing.
89 mins: Chance for Solanke at the other end. But his header was a weak one.
87 mins: Free kick to Rangers in a dangerous spot on the right. Headed out by Porro. Rangers press.
Goal! But it's offside
Three Rangers players offside. Dessers puts it in the back of the net but the whistle goes.
Rangers are on the up.
What a save!
Dessers shoots from yards out but Forster saves. It should have been in. Big moment in the game.
82 mins: Great interplay in the box between Solanke and Kulusevski. But it comes to nowt. Play goes on and Spurs are awarded a free kick outside the Rangers area.
Maddison chips a ball and there is a clash of heads in the box involving Dragusin. Referee stops play.
Double subtitution for Rangers
Igamane off, Dessers on. Also Yilmaz is replaced by Fraser.
78 mins: Rangers have a touch chance. Ridvan tries to head to goal after a cross from Sterling but its way over.
77 mins: Crowd has gone a bit quiet. Spurs looking chipper.
Goal!
74 mins: More possession for Spurs. But they were going nowhere. And then …. Kulusevski scores. Tottenham are back in it.
Updated
71 mins: Tough defending by Rangers. Two sliding tackles robbing Spurs of the ball.
We are moving into the last 20 minutes. Spurs need to pull something out of the hat.
Rangers substitution
Barron on for Bajrami and Sterling on for Cerny who has been a menace down the right.
66 mins: Save by Butland! Pedro Porro had come in at the Rangers’ far post and met a ball with a fierce shot.
Updated
63 mins: Spurs have a free kick outside the box. Maddison was fouled. He’s over the ball. He does a one two with Kulusevski and smashes the ball over the bar.
Spurs triple substitution
60 mins: It’s at the Rangers end. It’s a corner.
Spurs make a triple substitution.
Solanke on for Johnson, Sarr on for Bentancur and Bergvall on for Bissouma
57 mins: Corner to Rangers. Cerny goes short to Tavenier and a ball into the box nearly sees a Rangers goal. Forster saves.
The ball then comes out to Rangers and Diomande hits the ball from way out. It takes a deflection and it’s another corner.
Resulting corner sees Archie Gray header it out. Another corner. It’s cleared.
52 mins: Spurs look flat. Every time they have the ball they are met with a wall of blue.
So saying, Spurs get the ball with Bentancur and Kulusevski combining. A cross to Johnson sees him in space but he fires over.
50 mins: Cerny collects the ball a long way outside the Spurs box. Tries a shot and Forster gathers easily. Rangers are pressing hard and it’s all one way traffic at the moment.
48 mins: a bit noisy at Ibrox
Goal!
Only a minute of the second half gone and Rangers have scored.
Tavernier runs down the right, whipping a cross into the Spurs box where Igamane latches onto the ball and puts it past Forster.
Updated
Second half kick off
So we are back. Not sure the next 45 mins will be quite as good as the first 45.
Kulusevski is on for Werner.
Half time
45 mins: Forster saves with his feet from Cerny – and that is pretty much the last move of the first half. And what a half. Frenetic, fast, frantic and other words beginning with f.
43 mins: It’s end to end – but each team is missing the crucial last passes or final touches.
41 mins: Spurs press and force another corner. Again, nothing comes of that.
Updated
39 mins: Great save by Butland from Johnson. But the Spurs player is offside.
38 mins: Play resumes. Butland in the Rangers goal bangs the ball straight to James Maddison. He gets clipped by Raskin and its a Spurs free kick about 30 yards from goal in the centre of the pitch. Resulting play leads to a Spurs corner.
Rangers substitution
34 mins: Play has stopped. Souttar the Rangers defender is on the ground. Reckon he won’t be long for this field.
And yup – he’s off. Looks like his groin.
Balogun comes on in his place.
32 mins: From outside the box Cerny tries a shot. It goes over the bar – but it was dangerous play and Spurs look a bit fragile.
30 min: Corner is dealt with my Spurs with Son thumping it upfield. But Rangers are coming back. A Tottenham move ends in a misplaced pass and a throw to Rangers in the Spurs half.
29 mins: It’s an amazing match. Lots of chances, lots of effort.
Rangers definitely have the edge though.
They have a corner.
25 mins: From the corner Tottenham break quickly but again it comes to nothing. Rangers have a chance down the right with Cerny smashing a ball goalwards which Forster saves. Another passage of play sees Jefte slide one in from the left, across the Spurs box but there is no one on the end of it.
It’s all action.
22 mins: Nice interplay by Rangers around the Spurs box. Ball falls eventually to Jefte who shoots and it is blocked by Tottenham. It’s a corner.
20 mins: Yellow card for Diomande for a handball
19 mins: It’s back and forth. Both teams really going for it.
15 mins: Brennan Johnson robs a Rangers player in the centre of the field, heads to the Rangers box with the ball bouncing off a defender and into the path of James Maddison who shoots over. But it’s a corner.
Nothing comes from that.
Updated
11 mins: It’s all action. Son misses from ten yards in the Rangers box.
Updated
10 mins: Great counter attack by Rangers. Werner loses the ball and Bajrami sails down the right, into the Spurs box and hits a hard shot which is touched by Forster for a Rangers corner. The next play comes to nothing.
8 mins: shot from Werner on the left. The ball sails over the top of Butland’s bar. Should have hit the target at least.
6 mins: Spurs play the ball out from their area – Bentancur moves up the field on the right but gets muscled off the ball. Rangers showing a bit of physicality.
3 mins: Two dangerous moves by Rangers reasonably well mopped up by Spurs. It’s a pretty active start from both sides.
1 min: Spurs start well and Werner whizzes down the left and wins a corner. That play comes to nothing. But good opening move.
Kick off
And we are off with Spurs. Hold on to your hats.
Ibrox is rocking tonight. Even though it is near to freezing.
The TV (which is dubbing this fixture The Battle of Britain) is showing the young mascots warming up in the tunnel – vigorously. Socks are pulled up past the knees.
The teams are out
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Souttar, Propper, Yilmaz, Raskin, Bajrami, Cerny, Diomande, Jefte, Igamane.
Subs: Kelly, Cortes, Barron, Dessers, Dowell, Sterling, Balogun, King, McCausland, Fraser, Rice, Curtis.
Tottenham Hotspur: Forster, Porro, Gray, Dragusin, Udogie, Bentancur, Bissouma, Johnson, Maddison, Werner, Son.
Subs: Austin, Whiteman, Bergvall, Solanke, Kulusevski, Sarr, Lankshear, Dorrington, Olusesi, Williams-Barnet, Hardy.
Referee: Sandro Scharer (Switzerland)
And in case you don’t know what time it is where you are watching/reading/listening, here is a reminder
Where in the world will you be watching from? 🌎 pic.twitter.com/Napm6scJo6
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) December 12, 2024
Ange interview: ‘Tough game, big game’
Spurs TV is asking the questions : “How’s it feel to be back?” (in Glasgow). Fair enough question I guess since Ange was Celtic manager for a couple of years.
He answers: “Good to be back – just as cold as I remember it.”
And quizzed about his potential reception by Rangers fans:
“You pretty much know when you are up here that - the city is divided. And you kind of know that if you are on one side that the other are not going to be too warm and friendly with you. But that’s OK, that’s part of sport.”
On injuries and perhaps the general malaise at Spurs after some very up and down results.
“We are in a bit of a tough spot. But great opportunity for us to overcome the odds and hopefully create something special.
“Fair to say this is probably the worst I have ever experienced. What need to do is to stay calm and have a belief in the principles of what you are building.”
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Don’t often see a picture of Ange smiling so here’s one
And another
Evening everyone – or morning if you are on Australia timezone or afternoon in the Americas etc …
Welcome to our second live match of the day – a real potential cracker this one with lots at stake (for Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou).
It’s 8th placed Rangers against 9th placed Spurs.
But more than that its a chance for Ange to get his season back on track after a a topsy turvy few months of glory (4-0 win at Man city) and dismality (is that the a word that describes their various coming-from-in front defeats?)
