February 20, (THEWILL) – Rangers dropped points in the Scottish Premiership championship race after being held to a 1-1 draw by Dundee United at Tannadice Park on Sunday afternoon, unable to build on their spectacular success over Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League.
Calvin Bassey was part of a four-man defence but switched to his usual left-back position, while Joe Aribo was in the middle of the pitch, and the pair of Super Eagles players were crucial for Rangers in levelling the scores.
But before then, Bassey created an opportunity eighteen minutes in when he set up fellow defender James Tavernier, whose thunderous volley harmlessly went over the bar.
Just before the half-hour mark, the hosts’ most sensational player Ross Graham leapt above Helander and smashed the ball into the net to break the deadlock and boost the morale of the Dundee side.
Rangers racked up corners after the restart of the second half, but were unable to convert any of them as Dundee United absorbed the pressure superbly.
With fourteen minutes remaining, Aribo and Bassey collaborated to save a point for the defending champions with a goal Made in Nigeria. Even though under pressure, Aribo smashed the ball into the net following a cut back from Bassey.
Rangers pushed for a winner, and Amad, on loan from Manchester United, nearly provided it but could only hit the post with a powerful drive in the 84th minute, while Ryan Jack’s shot was deflected wide minutes later.
The result left Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side in second place with the opportunity to leapfrog Celtic into the summit of the standings temporarily lost. Celtic now have the chance to keep the three-point gap if they can defeat Dundee FC in the Sunday evening tie.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
