Piiiiii! On the move again in Leipzig
There are no changes yet for either team.
It is West Ham 1-1 Eintracht, in London. And in the Premier League it is Manchester United 0-0 Chelsea.
There were no real saves for McGregor in that half; some good blocks from his defense and perhaps a wasted chance from Nkunku. A little bit ahead of the Rangers, except for a brief period before the half hour, but they have hardly been under the bomb.
Half-time: RB Leipzig 0-0 Rangers
Overall, it wasn’t a middling event, so the Rangers should be thrilled.
43 minutes: The Rangers fan out a bit and try to build something, but Angelino foils again.
40 minutes: To reinforce that point, the more boring the better for the Rangers. So this, when Adams overcooks a pass intended for Henrichs, he’s a perfect fit so far.
38 minutes: So far, beyond two or three scares in which the Rangers have had to put bodies in the way, this half has drifted. There certainly seems to be little danger of a Rangers goal, but they’ll be happy to get into the interval like this.
35 minutes: The dangerous Laimer plays a direct pass down the right and shoots a provocative ball… but Nkunku isn’t close enough to convert.
33 minutes: Angelino recovers as Tavernier makes promising strides into the Leipzig half. The former Man City player launches into dispossession just as he was getting interesting.
31 minutes: Pinball in the Rangers box, Tavernier blocking a meaty Angelino volley seconds after deflecting a Szoboszlai cross headed for Nkunku. A reminder that Leipzig packs a punch.
30 minutes: And now the Rangers have a corner after a good play between Aribo and Kent. This is a much better spell. He’ll turn from the left…and Goldson goes higher, but his header is way over the top.
28 minutes: Tavernier’s delivery unfortunately leaves a lot to be desired.
27 minutes: Rangers have their first really long period of play in the Leipzig half, and it ends with Adams fouling Kent rudely. Free kick in a very dangerous area outside the area…
25 minutes: Wright and Gvardiol collide after the former steps in to abruptly gain possession. Rangers win a free kick in midfield; They both took hits there, but they seem to be okay.
24 minutes: West Ham have drawn against Eintracht. So both UK-Germany ties are now all square.
21 minutes: The visiting fans remain at full throttle. And the Rangers slow down with a few passes from behind, before Laimer drops Kamara. That’s fine, and the Rangers will be happy to see the game break up a bit.
18 minutes: And another great challenge, Laimer looks to escape before Goldson slides to the end. The Rangers are living a little dangerously now.
17 minutes: A huge disappointment as Barisic unconvincingly clears and when Adams blocks, Nkunku has a clear shot on target. But his touch is too heavy and, when he manages to shoot, he leaves. Bassey can block. That was an opportunity for the hosts.
14 minutes: The Rangers come out at last, Goldson looks to send Wright over the top…nearly results in a corner, but they settle for a shot. Still, a glimpse of how they might threaten tonight.
11 minutes: Laimer makes a drive down the right, but McGregor is able, to some relief, to dive to his cross and collect.
9 minutes: However, so far, the Rangers haven’t really been open. Aribo and Jack hunt as a pack to quell a possible moment of danger.
7 minutes: Still little time on the ball for the Rangers. Adams has had a low cut center. They look a bit skittish, but if they can get past this spell early, you’d think things would come out more naturally.
5 minutes: West Ham have lost a goal against Eintracht in one minute… wow.
4 minutes: The rangers will have to “pick their moments” to attack here, I imagine. Nkunku falls into the box as he tries to spin Goldson, but he falls too easily.
2 minutes: The Rangers, all in blue, kick from left to right. After an initial burst of pressure, they’re settling in and McGregor has the ball.
Whoops! We are going!
Leipzig is squarely in the front foot here.
The teams are out! 4,000 Rangers fans raise the roof. We’ll be up and running soon…
There is also the little matter of West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt – We couldn’t have a Hammers-Rangers final… could we? – with Rob Smyth.
I must say that the atmosphere sounds tremendous there. Rangers fans have been making their way around town all afternoon, in tremendous numbers. It feels like an arrival back on the biggest stage, or close to it: what a night this is for them!
Van Bronkhorst: “We don’t have many chances to be in a final. We have prepared well and I am very proud of my players for reaching this stage. Our players believe, they have trained well, they look very focused and we are going to play in a great atmosphere against a good team. We want to enjoy it too.”
The Rangers are exhausted from today’s attack. – Alfredo Morelos is out, of course, and Kemar Roofe too. Fashion Sakala might have been expected to start at the top, but instead Van Bronckhorst has gone with Scott Wrightyou – apparently looking to get to Leipzig with pace and mobility at the counter. Have you got it right?
Are RB Leipzig tired? Giovanni van Bronckhorst doesn’t have many of those old tricks.
starting lineups
RB Leipzig: Gulacsi; Gvardiol, Henrichs, Halstenberg; Laimer, Adams, Klostermann, Angelino; Olmo, Nkunku, Szoboszlai.
Forest ranger: McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Bassey, Barisic; Jack, Lundstram; Aribo, Kamara, Kent; Wright.
Good evening
It has been 14 years since Rangers last played in a European semi-final. Back then, they overcame Fiorentina in the UEFA Cup, only to fall short against Zenit at the last moment. They go again tonight, in this not particularly new Europa League of ours, and are tantalizingly close to making history again.
They face RB Leipzig, who hadn’t even been founded when Rangers left in 2008. This won’t be easy, but the Bundesliga’s fourth-place finisher may not have the shine of years past… and Rangers can play the second leg at home. So as long as there are no disasters tonight, the Ibrox crowd might as well see them at home next time. The rangers are losers, sure, but they’ve done amazing to get this far, and now you can’t go back against them.
Let’s see how it goes! Receive your emails and tweets, and tell me what you think.
Reference-www.theguardian.com