Rangers strike twice but PSV Eindhoven hit back to leave tie in the balance
Abdallah Sima scored for Rangers against PSV (Andrew Milligan/PA)
Rangers’ Champions League hopes are in the balance after PSV Eindhoven came from behind twice to draw 2-2 in a pulsating play-off first-leg tie at Ibrox.
Gers attacker Abdallah Sima curled in a terrific opener just before the interval with the Dutch side punished for sloppiness.
However, the visitors levelled through impressive midfielder Ibrahim Sangare just after the hour mark.
Substitute Rabbi Matondo scored his first Light Blues goal in the 76th minute before PSV captain Luuk de Jong levelled with a header four minutes later, to repeat last year’s score at the same stage of the competition.
The two sides drew 2-2 at Ibrox before Rangers scrambled a 1-0 win in Eindhoven and Michael Beale’s side will be looking for a similar outcome in the Netherlands next Wednesday night.
There was no surprise that Beale made a host of changes from the 2-1 Viaplay Cup win over Morton at the weekend with captain James Tavernier, John Souttar, Borna Barisic, midfielders Ryan Jack, Nicolas Raskin and Todd Cantwell and Sima all returning.
Malik Tillman, on loan at PSV from Bayern Munich having spent last season with Rangers, was on the bench looking to make his debut as De Jong led the line, supported by the talents such as Joey Veerman, Johan Bakayoko, Noa Lang and Sangare.
The Govan ground reverberated with noise before the game and in the breathless opening minutes the decibels increased when Cantwell almost took advantage of some sloppy PSV defending before the ball broke off Raskin and flew behind.
Moments later, Gers keeper Jack Butland made a save from a Lang drive as the slick-moving visitors broke with pace and purpose.
The home side were doing most of the chasing
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