Late leveller for Rangers boosts Champions League group stage hopes

Rangers’ Champions League hopes were handed a dramatic late boost when Cyriel Dessers levelled for a 1-1 draw with Dynamo Kyiv in Poland.

The first-leg of the third qualifying round tie was played at the Arena Lublin due to the ongoing war in Ukraine and although Philippe Clement’s side made a good fist of the first half and hit woodwork they found themselves behind at the interval to a 38th-minute goal from Kyiv captain Andriy Yarmolenko.

An open game continued after the break but there were few real scares at either end before striker Dessers popped up in the final seconds of four added minutes to convert a cross from substitute Vaclav Cerny - the last kick of the game.

Rangers will host Kyiv at Hampden Park next week - the national stadium will be used meantime due to a delayed refurbishment to one of the Ibrox stands - and will be confident of winning through to the play-off where Red Bull Salzburg or FC Twente await.

Clement is in the midst of a massive rebuild at Ibrox and Champions League money is critical but he and the Gers fans know improvement is required.

It was a decent start from the Ibrox side with midfielder Tom Lawrence and Dessers both having efforts saved by goalkeeper Georgiy Bushchan.

At the other end, Kyiv defender Volodymyr Brazhko headed over from a corner and in the 18th minute Vladyslav Vanat headed into the net after Gers keeper Jack Butland had spilled a drive from Kostian Vivcharenko but the offside flag was up, to the relief of the Gers camp.

The Light Blues hit back and winger Ross McCausland curled a shot from 22 yards off the post, before Butland made a good save from Oleksandr Pikhalyonok’s drive from distance.

Rangers enjoyed another good spell of play but a mistake by Ridvan Yilmaz proved costly.

The Turkish defender carelessly lost possession in the middle of the park and when the ball was fed in to Vanat inside the box he crossed for 34-year-old former West Ham attacker Yarmolenko to find the empty net from three yards.

It was the sloppiest of goals to lose.

Just before the break Dessers hit the keeper with a header from point-blank range and would have been happy to have been ruled offside.

New Brazilian signing Jefte replaced the ineffective Scott Wright for the start of the second half to make his debut and in the 52nd minute his terrific cross from the left was met by Dessers but his glancing header was well saved by the stretching Bushchan for a corner which came to nothing.

New signing Cerny replaced McCausland on the hour and the play continued to swing from end to end.

Dujon Sterling took over from Connor Barron in midfield as Clement tried another route.

Jefte had a powerful shot blocked by defender Denys Popov at the edge of the box when Dessers was in a good position.

Rangers finished the game strongly enough but it looked like they would have to accept a narrow defeat until the enigmatic Dessers nipped in at the front post to put away Cerny’s inviting cross for what could be a crucial goal.

PA