Rangers Hold Athletic Bilbao to Goalless Draw Despite Two Reductions in Manpower

A penalty save by Liam Kelly and defensive resilience secured a draw for Rangers in the Europa League quarter-final first leg at Ibrox.

Rangers were reduced to 10 men in the 13th minute after Robin Propper was sent off for denying a goal-scoring opportunity.
Manager Barry Ferguson's decision to replace Jack Butland with Liam Kelly proved pivotal, as Kelly saved a late penalty awarded after a VAR review.
A disallowed goal for offside and a subsequent penalty for handball highlighted the significant impact of VAR decisions on the match.
Substitute Bailey Rice suffered a serious neck injury in the second half and was stretchered off, leaving Rangers further depleted.
Despite finishing with nine men, Rangers held off a dominant Athletic Bilbao, setting up a challenging second leg in Spain next week.