Dundee had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Rangers at Ibrox after an excellent defensive team performance. Ryan Astley put the Dark Blues ahead early in the second half and shortly afterwards Rangers’ centre back Nasser Djiga was sent off for a last man foul on Fin Robertson. The Dee then repulsed the home side’s attacks impressively until Rangers equalised through James Tavernier’s penalty in the 92nd minute. It was only a single point, but it was a wonderfully spirited and organised display that made a massive statement of confidence and pride after Dundee’s early struggles this season.
Dundee made two changes to the team that lost against Hibs on Sunday. Drey Wright came in at right wing back and new signing Joe Westley made his debut in attack. Ethan Ingram and Emile Acquah moved to the bench.
Without doing anything spectacular the Dark Blues got off to a sound start. They kept the game tight, maintained their shape and held Rangers well away from Jon McCracken’s goal.
It took until the 16th minute for Rangers to mount a serious attack. A sharp pass from Jefté sent Djeide Gassa in behind the defence on the Dee right. Neither Cyrille Dessers nor Mohamed Diamanda could make anything of the low cross.
This looked as if it might be a turning point in the game as Rangers wound up the pressure over the next few minutes. Some worrying crosses flashed into the Dundee penalty area but always meeting good responses from the defence.
After coping with that brief spell of intense attacking from Rangers the game settled back into a pattern of Dundee calmly frustrating the hosts and looking for occasional opportunities to attack.
Dundee might not have created any first half chances in open play but they forced some extremely nervous moments in the Rangers defence and were unlucky not to take the lead from two corners.
Each time the Rangers defence failed to deal with the first ball in. After 30 minutes Fin Robertson had a 12 yard shot blocked. Luke Graham retrieved the ball and crossed for Clark Robertson to head against the inside of the post.
Four minutes later Rangers couldn’t deal with another corner whipped in from the left by Drey Wright. Fin Robertson again had a shot blocked. Wright’s second ball in was yet again headed against the post by Clark Robertson, but from an offside position.
These few minutes were distinctly uncomfortable for the home support, and the game never got much easier for Rangers. Even when they were dominating possession and pushing Dundee back they were never truly in control. Dundee were defending superbly and frustrating Rangers at every turn.
Rangers were unable to build attacks quickly enough to unsettle the Dundee defence, and when they did try to force the pace they simply lost possession to the eager, harrying Dees.
The second half started with a hint of promise for the home supporters when Gassama got away on the left and pulled a low cross back for Diamande. The shot was weak, however, and McCracken saved comfortably.
After that the game reverted to the pattern of the first half. Dundee were solid at the back, awkward for Rangers on the break, and dangerous at set pieces.
It was from a free kick, 35 yards out, that Dundee took the lead after 51 minutes. Callum Jones floated the ball beyond the far post. Clark Robertson headed back and Ryan ASTLEY scored with a precise header looping over Butland and dropping into the top corner.
Surprisingly there was little response from Rangers. Eight minutes later they dug themselves into an even deeper hole when they went down to 10 men. Dundee broke out of defence and with Rangers expecting Joe Westley to lay the ball back to a midfielder the Dee striker used strength and skill to take two Rangers players out of the game and send Fin Robertson clear. Nasser Djiga brought him down and showed no surprise when referee Don Robertson pulled out the red card.
Djiga’s dismissal made no tactical difference to the game. Rangers used all their substitutions to try and refresh the midfield and attack without attempting to strengthen the defence. Dundee continued to deploy a low block and defend superbly while the short-handed Rangers defence was always vulnerable when the Dark Blues broke.
There were a few occasions when Dundee could, and should, have done better on the break but that is the only criticism that could be made of this performance.
Tony Yogane came on for Joe Westley, then Emile Acquah replaced Ash Hay. Many of the home fans had vanished when Rangers finally got the break they hardly deserved as the clock was ticking past the 90 minute mark.
Gassama, the only Rangers player who was consistently dangerous, ran into the penalty area, got halfway past Drey Wright and went down in a tangle with the Dee. It’s traditional to indulge conspiracy theories when Rangers or Celtic are awarded a crucial penalty in injury time, but this was not controversial. It’s hard to imagine any top referee reaching a different decision.
After the inevitable lengthy, but pointless, VAR check James TAVERNIER sent McCracken the wrong way to pull Rangers level.
There was still time for excitement at either end. Astley headed narrowly over from a corner, and Cyriel Dessers put the ball in the net, but from an offside position according to VAR.
At the final whistle the Dundee players received enthusiastic applause from the away support in the corner. Sure, the loss of a late equaliser was disappointing, but every Dark Blue supporter was desperate to see their team come to Ibrox today and stand up to Rangers. They wanted the Dee to be hard working, organised, passionate, and to show pride in the jersey. The players delivered in abundance and were entitled to walk off the pitch with heads held high, and the cheers of the Dees in the stand ringing in their ears.
Dundee were solid and impressive in every department today. The central defenders were so good it was almost a relief to see Rangers hoisting high balls into the penalty area because it invariably signalled the end of an attack. Young Luke Graham’s performance was particularly eye-catching given his lack of experience of such games. The midfield grafted relentlessly, winning the ball and holding possession well. Fin Robertson gave perhaps his best performance for Dundee.
The strikers might have spent little time around the home goal but they were very much part of this impressive team performance, linking well with their team mates and being a constant nuisance to Rangers midfielders and defenders. Joe Westley had a promising debut and gave his all till he was replaced by Tony Yogane after 66 minutes. Likewise Ash Hay never stopped working for the team.
Dundee have a terrible record at Ibrox over the last 25 years. This might not have been the win we would have loved to see, but we all certainly enjoyed this sterling performance from the Dark Blues. Only one team emerged from this evening’s game with credit, and that was the Dark Blues of Dundee.
Rangers 4-3-3
Butland
Aarons (Tavernier 63), Djiga, Souttar (c), Jefté (Curtis 76)
Diomande (Dowell 55), Rothwell (Danil0 63), Cameron (Raskin 53)
Antman, Dessers, Gassama
Unused subs: Kelly (gk), Tavernier, Cortés, Barron, Dowell, Fernandes, Raskin, Curtis, Danilo.
Goal: Tavernier (90+2 pen).
Booked: Antman (foul on Fin Robertson), Dessers (foul on Graham).
Sent off: Djiga (denying Fin Robertson a goalscoring opportunity).
Dundee FC 3-5-2
Jon McCracken
Ryan Astley, Clark Robertson (c), Luke Graham
Drey Wright, Callum Jones (Billy Koumetio 90+3), Paul Digby, Fin Robertson, Imari Samuels (Aaron Donnelly 90+3)
Joe Westley (Tony Yogane 66), Ash Hay (Emile Acquah 82)
Unused substitutes: Trevor Carson (gk), Ethan Ingram, Plamen Galabov, Finlay Allan, Ethan Crombie.
Goal: Astley (51).
Booked: Fin Robertson (kicking ball away).
Attendance: 48,958.
Referee: Don Robertson. Assistants: Ross Macleod, Jonathan Bell. VAR: Matthew MacDermid. Assistant VAR: Gary Hilland.
Report: James Christie.
