Kelly Penalty Save Earns 10-Man Rangers Draw Against Athletic Bilbao

Goalkeeper Liam Kelly produced a crucial late penalty save as 10-man Rangers battled to a heroic 0-0 draw against Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie at Ibrox on Thursday night, April 10th. The result, achieved despite playing for over 75 minutes with a numerical disadvantage, keeps the tie finely balanced.

Rangers interim manager Barry Ferguson made several bold selections, including starting Kelly ahead of regular number one Jack Butland and handing 18-year-old Bailey Rice a start in midfield. However, their game plan was drastically altered after just 13 minutes when defender Robin Pröpper was sent off. Pröpper was initially shown a yellow card for fouling Iñaki Williams as the last man, but the decision was upgraded to red following a VAR review.

Despite the setback and Athletic Bilbao’s subsequent dominance of possession, Rangers defended with immense resilience. The Spanish side struggled to create clear-cut chances, though Oihan Sancet had a penalty shout waved away early in the second half and later blazed wide when well-positioned.

The match exploded into life in the final minutes. Substitute Alex Berenguer appeared to have won it for Athletic Bilbao, firing home from close range. However, VAR intervened, first ruling the goal out for offside. In a further dramatic twist, the review then identified a handball by Rangers’ Dujon Sterling in the build-up, leading the referee to award a penalty to the visitors.

Berenguer stepped up to take the spot-kick, but Kelly cemented his hero status, diving to his right and diverting the ball over the bar with his leg.

The save secured a remarkable draw for Rangers, ending a run of five consecutive home defeats and justifying Ferguson’s faith in his selection. “They showed character in abundance,” Ferguson said afterwards, suggesting the “few home truths” shared with the players had “sunk in.”

While Athletic Bilbao will rue their missed penalty and inability to capitalize on the man advantage, Rangers travel to Spain for the second leg next week with their hopes of reaching the semi-finals unexpectedly intact.