Dundee lost 1-0 against Rangers in Glasgow this afternoon. After holding Rangers at bay throughout the first half Dundee were caught out by Vaclav Cerny’s goal on the break immediately after half time. The Dark Blues fought hard for an equaliser but as the game opened up Rangers were always more likely to add to their lead than be pegged back. In the end all the Dark Blues’ efforts were not enough to bring a point back up the road.
There were two changes to the Dee team that started against Hearts a fortnight ago. Trevor Carson in goal, replacing Jon McCracken, who was on the bench, and Scott Tiffoney came in for the injured Seun Adewumi. Rangers’ goalkeeper Liam Kelly was a last minute replacement for Jack Butland, who was injured in the warm up.
Rangers kicked off and were immediately on the attack. The Dark Blues sat deep and withstood almost relentless pressure throughout the fist half. Dundee did not have an effective out ball and when the defence cleared Rangers would invariably pick up possession and launch another attack.
The Dundee defence stood up well to the attacking and prevented Rangers from creating any good chances in open play during the first half. Billy Koumetio got off to a fine start with a beautifully timed penalty box tackle on Danilo.
Despite all the pressure it took Rangers 20 minutes to put in a worthwhile shot. Ianis Hagi’s powerful effort from 22 yards clipped the top of the crossbar. James Tavernier went even closer after half an hour. His 25 yard free kick came down off the underside of the crossbar and the Dee defence scrambled clear. Three minutes later a corner ran all the way through to Vaclav Cerny on the right wing. He shimmied in before trying a low cross shot that Trevor Carson pushed wide to safety.
The Dee midfield struggled to get into the game for long periods. Rangers had an edge through their midfielders’ ability to move the ball quickly on to teammates when they were under pressure. Instead of losing possession another attack would start.
In the last 10 minutes of the half Rangers’ play became more ragged and Dundee picked up some easier possession. The Dark Bleus tried a few attacks, but none that gave Rangers’ defence serious problems.
Dundee went onto the attack right from the kick off at the start of the second half. For a fleeting moment the Dark Blues looked dangerous but the attack broke down. Rangers cleared and Danilo’s pass allowed Vaclav CERNY to run unopposed from the half way line, take the ball round Carson and score.
For a while Rangers looked as if they would run away with the game. Tavernier headed wide from Hamza Igamane’s cross. Hagi had a goal disallowed for offside, and the same player then brought a good save from Carson after dribbling in from the left. Igamane looked sure to claim the second goal when he shot past Carson but Jordan McGhee got back to make a great clearance off the line.
Dundee brought on Simon Murray and Julien Vetro for Scott Tiffoney midway through the second half. Dundee started to play their way into the game and the home supporter were getting on the backs of their players.
The Dark Blues had a series of attacks but Rangers held firm and were always much the more dangerous team on the break. Igamane blasted a close range shot off the crossbar after substitute Nedim Bajrami had set up what should have been a simple chance at the end of one Rangers break. Another substitute, Cyriel Dessers, saw a shot graze the top of the crossbar as Dundee opened up as they chased an equaliser.
The nearest the Dee came to saving the match came after 84 minutes following fine play by Josh Mulligan, who broke up a Rangers attack and raced up the field. His pass found Fin Robertson in the clear, but from 18 yards the wing back rushed his shot and shot too high. Simon Murray did have a shot cleared off the line as the game entered injury time, but the linesman’s flag was up for offside anyway.
Despite the close scoreline Rangers were well worth the three points. They dominated possession and created all the good chances. Dundee defended well in the first half, but were always vulnerable after falling behind as they tried to chase an equaliser.
If the Dark Blues had held out for longer after half time Rangers might have struggled under pressure from the irritable home fans. Dundee were competitive today, and gave Rangers a difficult game. However, after Rangers went ahead it was far more likely that they would add further goals than be pegged back. There was a casualness about this Rangers performance, especially in the second half, and the home side might have been punished if Dundee had found a spark of inspiration, or had a spot of luck in attack. Sadly it wasn’t to be, but the Dark Blues can’t complain about the outcome. The better team won.
Rangers 4-2-3-1
Kelly
Tavernier (c), Sterling, Pröpper, Jefté
Raskin, Diomande, Hagi (Yilmaz 83)
Cerny (McCausland 74) , Igamane (Dessers 83), Danilo (Bajrami 62)
Unused subs: Cortes, Barron, Dowell, Balogun.
Goal: Cerny (46).
Booked: Pröpper (foul on Murray), Jefté (foul on Cameron).
Dundee FC 3-4-2-1
Carson (c)
Astley, Portales, Koumetio
Fin Robertson, Mulligan, Sylla, McGhee
Tiffoney (Vetro 64), Cameron
Palmer-Houlden (Murray 64)
Unused substitutes: McCracken (gk), Sharp (gk), Ingram, Main, Kelly, Braybrooke.
Booked: Sylla (foul on Hagi), Mulligan (foul on Yilmaz).
Referee: Matthew MacDermid. Assistants: Graeme Stewart, Alastair Mather. VAR: Nick Walsh. VAR Assistant: Graeme Leslie.
Attendance: 47,208.
Report: James Christie.
