GLASGOW RANGERS  1  (1)  TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR  2  (0)
Date : –  Saturday 23rd July 2022 Kick off : –  15.00
Competition : – Walter Tull Memorial Trophy Venue : –  Ibrox Stadium
Crowd : –  43,036
Referee : –   John Beaton (-) Linesmen : – Mr. . ??; Mr. . ??
Fourth official : – 
Weather : –  Warm, light rain
Spurs kicked off the first half attacking the Copland Stand end
Playing time : –   90 + 5 minutes

 

GLASGOW RANGERS TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
GOAL-SCORERS
    Colak  23m 26s  (assist by Tavernier)   Kane  49m 53s  (assist by Son)
         Kane  55m 35s  (assist by Son)
CARDS
    Kulusevski (simulation)  56
   

 

GLASGOW RANGERS TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
1.   Allan McGREGOR 1.   Hugo LLORIS (c)  (  20.   Fraser FORSTER  71)  
     
2.   James TAVERNIER (c) 17.   Cristian ROMERO  (  25.   Japhet TANGANGA  81)  
6.   Connor GOLDSON 15.   Eric DIER  (  22.   Joe RODON  66)  
16.   John SOUTTAR  (  19.   James SANDS  69)  6.   Davinson SANCHEZ  (  34.   Clement LONGLET  81)  
31.   Boma BARISIC     
    12.   Emerson ROYAL  (  27.   Lucas MOURA  46)  
11.   Tom LAWRENCE  (  40.   Mallik TILLMAN  69)  5.   Pierre-Emile HOJBJERG  (  29.   Pape Matar SARR  81)  
18.   Glen KAMARA 30.   Rodrigo BENTACUR  ( 38.   Yves BISSOUMA  46
4.   John LUNDESTRAM 19.   Ryan SESSEGNON  (  9.   RICHARLISON  60)  
    
17.   Rabbi MATONDO  (  23.   Scott WRIGHT  69)  21.   Dejan KULUSEVSKI   (  14.   Ivan PERISIC  60)  
9.   Antonio COLAK  10.   Harry KANE      (  24.   Djed SPENCE  71)  
14.   Ryan KENT 7.   Heung-Min SON  (  11.   BRYAN Gil  71)  
    
Substitutes Substitutes
28.   Robbie McCRORIE 40.   Brandon AUSTIN
33.   Jon McLAUGHLIN 2.   Matt DOHERTY
43.   Leon KING  
22.   Ben DAVIES  
10.   Steven DAVIS  
37.   Scott ARFIELD  
98.   Adam DEVINE  
99   Charlie McCANN  
21.   Nicola KATIC  
8.   Ryan JACK  
30.   Fashion SAKALA  

 

Manager : –  Giovanni van Bronckhorst Manager : –  Antonio Conte
Kit Supplier : – Castore Kit Supplier : – Nike
Shirt Sponsor : –  32Red Shirt Sponsor : – AIA
Shirt Sleeve Sponsor : –  BOXT Shirt Sleeve Sponsor : – cinch
Back of Shirt Sponsor : – Seko; Socomec Back of Shirt Sponsor : –  None
Colours : –  Royal Blue shirts with white collar and cuffs, White shorts, Black socks with red turnover
Colours : –  White shirts with Navy blue and Volt yellow collar and cuffs, Navy blue shorts, White socks

 

MATCH REPORT
Spurs fans among the partisan Ibrox crowd made themselves heard as Tottenham turned on the style in the second half to find the two goals to over turn Glasgow Rangers’ first half strike and win the Walter Tull Memorial Trophy.  With a strong squad missing only a few players, Tottenham made most of the chances as they continued the build-up to the opening Premier League game on August 6th and Rangers were determined and robust, but in the final analysis came up short on the day.  They will claim that they were without a number of their first teams quad, but with their league opener just seven days away, they should be match ready, while Spurs are still getting there.

An early chance came Tottenham’s way when a ball across from the left wing by missed out Harry Kane and Emerson Royal came in at the back post, but decided to pass inside to Dejan Kulusevski rather than have a shot himself.  In the fifth minute, Kulusevski was sent away and some decent defending stopped him getting his shot around Souttar who stuck close to him, but he exchanged passes with Son and hit a right foot shot from the right of the goal that McGregor kept out with his feet.

It was clear from the start that Tottenham’s fitness and strength was going to play a part, with a high press and some no-nonsense tackling making it difficult for Rangers to string anything together.  When they did, Ryan Kent broke into the box on the left, but Cristian Romero just stepped across him to take the ball away cleanly, but the Argentine’s next tackle conceded a free-kick 25 yards out in the middle of the pitch.  Tavernier took it and curled it over the wall, but couldn’t get it down quick enough and it passed over Hugo Lloris’ goal.  It gave Rangers the confidence to start getting to the ball first to stop Spurs building moves, getting the ball forward themselves, such as when Tom Lawrence put Rabbi Matondo away on their right, but the low cross was taken by Hugo with ease

On 20 minutes, Kane put Kulusevski through on the right, but as he looked to shift the ball onto his left foot in the box, he was tackled and the move broke down.  Shortly after Matondo had space on the Rangers right and his low ball into the near post was back-heeled into the path of Antonio Colak, who put the ball away past Lloris from inside the six-yard box.   It came in a spell where the Scottish team were on top, but that was about the best chance they created.

Almost immediately Spurs had the chance to level, when Son was sent through with Hojbjerg and Kulusevski to his right.  His pass went to Pierre and taking a touch, he then put his shot wide, claiming the goalkeeper had got a touch, but he should have hit the target.  Some pinball in the Spurs box allowed a shot for Lawrence, but he poked it too high, while Dejan was away again on the right, passed into the box for Kane, took the return pass and forced McGregor to push his drive over the bar.  From the corner, a very presentable opportunity came Romero’s way when Dier flicked on Son’s delivery at the near post and his fellow defender didn’t get over the ball as his header flashed over an empty net from a couple of yards out.

After it looked like Bentancur had been fouled by Lawrence in midfield, Eric Dier picked up the ball halfway inside the Rangers half and hit a fierce shot that bounced off McGregor’s chest as the keeper was unable to hold onto the shot that was too hot for him to handle.  Son sent Kane in on goal, but his low shot was blocked by McGregor for a corner and with Tottenham starting to find their way back into the game, the home players started to exhibit their frustration by some heavy challenges that they felt were acceptable (maybe they are in Scotland).  One five minutes before half-time saw Barisic damage himself as Bentancur came out the winner in that tackle.   

Son and Sessegnon linked up on the left corner of the box before Heung-Min struck a shot over the bar and then Kulusevski made a reverse pass that saw Bentancur receive the ball and leave two lumbering Rangers players in a heap as they hit each other with tackles rather than the Spurs man !  Rodrigo passed it right to Royal, who again should have shot but he passed back to Bentancur, who was crowded out.  Spurs were pushing hard and Kulusevski’s run was crudely stopped when he was up-ended by Souttar on the very edge of the penalty area.  Having scored in Korea, Harry took it, but could only thump it into the head of Eric Dier in the wall !

With Lucas Moura coming on at half-time for Royal and Bissouma on for Bentancur, it was the Brazilian playing at wing-back who won the ball on the right, before moving forward and spreading play to the left.  Sessegnon played the ball to Sonny, his ball into the box found Sanchez, who was up in the attack and a cheeky back-hell put Sessegnon in on the left, but McGregor was onto his quickly to block his shot for a corner.  Spurs moved the ball out of their own half when Kulusevski won the ball and it was played forward through Son to Kane and he was one-on-one with Goldson.  In the left corner of the area, he had the defender on his heels and as he moved the ball a foot to his right, Harry bent his shot around Goldson and beyond the despairing dive of McGregor to send the ball into the net just inside the far post.  It was classic Kane and left the keeper with no hope of saving it to give Spurs a well-deserved equaliser for their sharp start to the second half.

Seven minutes into the half, Rangers went close, when a raking ball from the left picked out Tavernier beyond the far post on the right and he struck a first time volley that flashed across the face of the goal, with no blue shirt there to finish it off.  When Tottenham responded, Kulusevski was booked for a dive after Souttar challenged him in the box, when it looked as though there was some contact, but when Rangers tried to play the ball out from the back, Hojbjerg picked off a pass and Son played it immediately to his right, where Harry took a touch and then buried a low shot close to the keeper’s right, but he could not stop the shot finding the net.  Kane has so many ways of finding the net that he was slight stretching for this one, but got a full boot behind it to ensure it had enough power to beat the Rangers goalie.

Dier made way for Joe Rodon after Colak had raked his foot down the Spurs defender’s shin and ankle on landing after jumping for a header.  A Cruyff turn by Kane left one Rangers man on his way through the exit door, while another didn’t know what was happening and the ball was passed to Richarlison on the left, only for Souttar to him to be hacked down as he raced away, but the referee decided that this late and pre-meditated challenge was not worthy of a yellow card, but a “dive” in the box was !  The Rangers crowd made themselves heard for the first time in a while when they booed former Celtic keeper Fraser Forster, who replaced Lloris and Lenglet replaced Sanchez, Gil for Son, with Spence taking Kane’s place as Conte gave the remainder of the new signings an outing with 20 minutes left.  Spence showed what he can do when Tillman played a dangerous ball into the area and Djed used his pace to intercept it.  

Rangers substitute Wright took a pass from Lundstram and his low effort from the right edge of the box was partially blocked by Lenglet and went wide for a corner and the same result came when Lundstram tried his luck from the edge of the area but Rodon’s block took it off target with Forster going the other way.  A Spurs corner won by Richarlison when he was freed after Gil blocked a clearance was headed on by Goldson and Perisic tried an acrobatic scissors kick that flew narrowly over the bar with about 15 minutes left.

James Sands was brought on for Souttar just after his bad tackle and he had a golden chance to level the score when a corner was touched on by Goldson at the right end and the defender headed into the grateful hands of Forster from about a yard out.  In the last minute, after Moura had been brought down as he sped away from Kamara, Spurs worked the ball out to the left and Perisic made a yard to cross onto Richarlison’s head, but it went agonisingly over the far angle of the goal.  

It was a good win, with Kane showing how sharp he is, taking the game away from Rangers.  The goal Spurs conceded was a little worrying, as the flick saw three Spurs defenders drawn to the ball, leaving Colak with acres of space to beat Lloris easily.  With all the players getting some match-time including the new signings, it was a strong performance against a side who are one week ahead of Tottenham, starting their league programme next week.  Rangers provided a physical challenge much as Sevilla did, with some naughty tackles going in as they tried to prove that Scottish football is better than English football, but without playing flat out, Spurs proved too much for them.

A good atmosphere, a solid performance and a decent test with AS Roma to come next week before the real business begins.

Marco van Hip