Dessers and McCausland prove Rangers heroes at half empty Hampden but VAR drama leaves Levein apoplectic - 3 talking points
dailyrecord.co.ukCyriel Dessers and Ross McCausland climbed off the bench to fire Rangers into the Premier Sports Cup quarter-finals with a 2-0 win - but St Johnstone claim the first goal should never have stood.The holders were looking to bounce back after the disappointment of this week’s Champions League heartache.
Dessers grabbed the goal in front of a half-empty Hampden to lift the mood round of the Gers support. But Saints boss Craig Levein was left outraged after claiming the strike - initially ruled out for a foul - should not have been overturned by VAR because referee Matt MacDermid had already blown his whistle by the time the Gers striker’s shot had hit the net.
Levein raced onto the pitch at full-time to confront the official but seemed deeply dissatisfied with the explanation he got.Gers gaffer Philippe Clement made five changes to the side that fell to the Ukrainians on Tuesday as Dujon Sterling, Kieran Dowell, Vaclav Cerny, Rabbi Matondo and Danilo all returned.
Craig Levein, meanwhile, kept his alterations to a minimum after scudding Killie last week, with Graham Carey taking over from Aaron Essel.The crowd at the national stadium was sparse as the stay-away Gers support made their feelings clear on the current situation at Ibrox and Hampden.
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