Edu's early delight wiped out by own goal
Rangers 1 Valencia 1
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Your support makes all the difference.Rangers midfielder Maurice Edu admitted he had endured pain at both ends after finding the back of the net twice during this Group C draw on a miserable, wet night at Ibrox.
Edu headed home in the 34th minute following a sustained spell of pressure from the home side, taking a punch from Valencia goalkeeper Cesar Sanchez in the process. But he did the same at his own end seconds after half-time as Rangers passed up a string of chances to open up a four-point lead over the Spaniards.
"For the first goal I didn't have time to celebrate because I took a knock on the head and was laid on the ground for a while," Edu explained. "As for the own goal, I saw it late and the next thing I know it hit me and it was in."
The American gave Walter Smith's side the lead when he climbed high inside the box to head home Vladimir Weiss' swirling corner from the left.
However, Unai Emery's Valencia team quickly reasserted themselves and it took less than a minute of the second half for them to draw level. Tino Costa swung in a free-kick from the right after Steven Whittaker's handball, and as Edu stretched to head clear he saw the ball skim off the back of his head into the corner of Allan McGregor's net for the first goal Rangers have conceded in the Champions League this season.
"That was obviously disappointing but we kept going and created more chances; we were pleased with the way we played," said Edu, who added he was "optimistic" over his team's chances for the return match in Spain on 2 November.
"We were unlucky not to win so we'll take confidence from that."
Rangers (5-4-1): McGregor; Foster, Weir, Bougherra, Papac, Whittaker; Naismith, S Davis, Edu, Weiss (Lafferty 88); Miller. Substitutes not used Alexander (gk), Fleck, Webster, Little, Wylde, Hutton.
Valencia (4-4-2): Sanchez; Saltor, Navarro, Costa, Mathieu; Hernandez, Topal, Costa (Fernandes, 76), Mata (Vicente, 84); Dominguez (Soldado, h-t), Aduriz. Substitutes not used Moya (gk), Maduro, Albelda, Banega.
Referee N Rizzoli (Italy).
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