Rangers’ Champions League hopes are in the balance after PSV Eindhoven came from behind twice to draw 2-2 in a pulsating playoff first-leg tie at Ibrox.
Abdallah Sima curled in a terrific opener for the hosts just before the interval with the Dutch side punished for their sloppiness. However, the visitors levelled through the impressive midfielder Ibrahim Sangaré just after the hour mark.
The substitute Rabbi Matondo scored his first Rangers goal in the 76th minute before the PSV captain Luuk de Jong levelled with a header four minutes later, to repeat last year’s score at the same stage of the competition. The two sides drew 2-2 at Ibrox before Rangers scrambled a 1-0 win in Eindhoven and Michael Beale’s side will be looking for a similar outcome in the Netherlands next Wednesday night.
There was no surprise that Beale made a host of changes from the 2-1 Scottish League Cup win over Morton on Saturday with their captain James Tavernier, John Souttar, Borna Barisic, midfielders Ryan Jack, Nicolas Raskin, Todd Cantwell and Sima all returning.
Malik Tillman, on loan at PSV from Bayern Munich having spent last season with Rangers, was on the bench looking to make his debut as De Jong led the line, supported by talents such as Joey Veerman, Johan Bakayoko, Noa Lang and Sangaré.
Ibrox reverberated with noise before the game and in the breathless opening minutes the decibels increased when Cantwell almost took advantage of some slack PSV defending before the ball broke off Raskin and flew behind. Moments later, the home goalkeeper Jack Butland made a save from a Lang drive as the slick-moving visitors broke with pace and purpose.
Rabbi Matondo fires home Rangers’ second goal of the match at Ibrox. Photograph: Russell Cheyne/Reuters
The home side were doing most of the chasing but in the 22nd minute a slip by the PSV defender Olivier Boscagli allowed Sima to latch on to a Cyriel Dessers header only for his tame shot was easily gathered by goalkeeper Walter Benítez.
PSV’s winger Bakayoko had two efforts on goal, driving straight at Butland then going close with a curling drive later in the half. However, just before the break the PSV defence again got into a tangle and when Dessers’ pass landed with Sima at the edge of the box, the on-loan Brighton player curled the ball high past Benítez to send the home fans wild.
The second half began with Benítez blocking a close-range effort from Tavernier as the Rangers fans urged their team on but PSV looked sprightly in their own attacks.
In the 58th minute, after Cantwell was booked for a cynical foul on Ismael Saibari, Butland palmed away a decent 25-yard free-kick from Veerman and again Rangers defended the corner. However, moments later – in another PSV attack which forced the team back into their own box, Bakayoko laid the ball back – Saibari dummied it and Sangaré hammered the ball into the net.
Matondo replaced Sima with John Lundstram on for Jack before Cantwell was perhaps fortunate to avoid another yellow following a hefty tackle on Sergiño Dest.
Matondo’s pace soon caused PSV problems and so did his finishing. A sweeping Rangers move enabled Cantwell to break forward and play wide to Dessers, whose brilliant pass took out the PSV defence with Matondo steering the ball past Benítez. Ibrox was soon silenced once more though when De Jong bulleted in a header from a Bakayoko corner.
In a frantic finale, the Rangers substitute Danilo saw a goal-bound shot blocked for a corner and Matondo drove just over, but it ended all square and the two teams get to do it all again next week.
Rangers’ manager Michael Beale said his side will ‘go across and be extremely positive’ in the second leg. Photograph: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
“We will go across and be extremely positive,” Beale said. “There were moments of tonight’s game when I thought we were very good. I thought we scored two good goals and all night we caused them problems defensively. There were areas of the game we’d want to improve on, for sure. But everything is to play for.
“Tonight when we were struggling, we fought for each other. We ran for each other, we problem-solved on the pitch. This new group are learning very quickly that big nights like tonight bring us together.”
His PSV counterpart, PSV boss, Peter Bosz spoke of “mixed feelings” on his side’s performance, but added: “I am never afraid of anything. I always think: ‘Go for it.’”
