- Date:17 Feb 2011
- Kick-off:20:05
- Venue:Ibrox Stadium
- Attendance:34,095
Live Commentary
- 92mins
El-Hadji Diouf produces a cross, save made by Pedro Rui Patricio.
- 91mins
El-Hadji Diouf is flagged offside by the assistant referee. Pedro Rui Patricio restarts play with the free kick.
- 91mins
The ball is sent over by Richard Foster.
- 91mins
Kyle Lafferty takes a shot. Save by Pedro Rui Patricio.
- 89mins
Kyle Lafferty takes a shot. Pedro Rui Patricio makes a save.
- 88mins
Pedro Joao Pereira produces a cross, Matias Fernandez finds the net with a headed goal from inside the six-yard box. Rangers 1-1 Sporting.The assist for the goal came from Pedro Joao Pereira.
- 87mins
Maurice Edu fouled by Matias Fernandez, the ref awards a free kick. Allan McGregor takes the direct free kick.
- 86mins
Unfair challenge on Steven Davis by Pedro Mendes results in a free kick. Madjid Bougherra restarts play with the free kick.
- 85mins
The ball is swung over by Pedro Joao Pereira, clearance by Sasa Papac.
- 84mins
Ferreira Diogo Solomao joins the action as a substitute, replacing Helder Postiga.
- 80mins
Kyle Lafferty is flagged offside by the assistant referee. The referee cautions Kyle Lafferty for unsporting behaviour. Pedro Mendes takes the indirect free kick.
- 79mins
Helder Postiga is caught offside. Allan McGregor takes the free kick.
- 79mins
Pedro Mendes takes a shot. Save made by Allan McGregor.
- 78mins
Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Matias Fernandez by Maurice Edu. Free kick taken by Pedro Mendes.
- 76mins
Nuno Maniche goes off and Matias Fernandez comes on.
- 75mins
Yanick Djalo has a shot and went wide of the right-hand post.
- 73mins
(Sporting) makes a substitution, with Miguel Carlos Saleiro coming on for de Oliveira Cristiano.
- 73mins
The referee shows Vladimir Weiss a yellow card.
- 72mins
Helder Postiga takes a shot. David Weir gets a block in.
- 72mins
Santos Evaldo produces a cross.
- 72mins
The official flags El-Hadji Diouf offside. Correa Anderson Polga restarts play with the free kick.
- 71mins
The referee blows for offside. Free kick taken by Madjid Bougherra.
- 70mins
Shot from just outside the area by Yanick Djalo misses to the right of the target.
- 70mins
Centre by Richard Foster, Filipe Daniel Carrico makes a clearance.
- 69mins
A cross is delivered by Steven Whittaker, save made by Pedro Rui Patricio.
- 67mins
El-Hadji Diouf takes a shot. Save made by Pedro Rui Patricio.
- 65mins
Corner taken right-footed by Vladimir Weiss, Steven Whittaker scores a headed goal from inside the six-yard box. Rangers 1-0 Sporting.Assist by Vladimir Weiss.
- 65mins
El-Hadji Diouf crosses the ball, clearance made by Pedro Joao Pereira.
- 65mins
A cross is delivered by Madjid Bougherra, Nuno Maniche gets a block in.
- 64mins
The ball is swung over by Steven Whittaker, Correa Anderson Polga manages to make a clearance.
- 63mins
The assistant referee flags for offside against Kyle Lafferty. Indirect free kick taken by Correa Anderson Polga.
- 63mins
Steven Whittaker produces a right-footed shot from just outside the area that goes harmlessly over the bar.
- 61mins
Unfair challenge on Vladimir Weiss by Filipe Daniel Carrico results in a free kick. Filipe Daniel Carrico booked. Shot on goal comes in from Steven Whittaker from the free kick.
- 61mins
Helder Postiga takes a shot. Comfortable save by Allan McGregor.
- 60mins
The referee blows for offside against El-Hadji Diouf. Correa Anderson Polga restarts play with the free kick.
- 60mins
Shot from outside the box by de Oliveira Cristiano misses to the left of the goal.
- 59mins
Foul by Yanick Djalo on Richard Foster, free kick awarded. Direct free kick taken by Allan McGregor.
- 58mins
Steven Davis challenges Helder Postiga unfairly and gives away a free kick. Direct effort from the free kick comes in from Filipe Daniel Carrico.
- 54mins
The referee penalises El-Hadji Diouf for handball. Nuno Maniche takes the direct free kick.
- 54mins
Effort on goal by Kyle Lafferty from just inside the penalty box goes harmlessly over the target.
- 53mins
The offside flag is raised against Pedro Joao Pereira. Allan McGregor restarts play with the free kick.
- 52mins
Sasa Papac takes a shot. Yanick Djalo gets a block in.
- 51mins
Corner taken by El-Hadji Diouf from the right by-line.
- 51mins
The ball is sent over by Vladimir Weiss, blocked by Pedro Joao Pereira.
- 50mins
Effort from outside the box by Sasa Papac goes wide right of the target.
- 49mins
Yanick Djalo is shown a yellow card for unsporting behaviour.
- 48mins
Handball by Steven Davis. Free kick taken by Pedro Rui Patricio.
- 48mins
Outswinging corner taken by El-Hadji Diouf, Filipe Daniel Carrico manages to make a clearance.
- 48mins
Richard Foster delivers the ball, Kyle Lafferty takes a shot. Correa Anderson Polga gets a block in.
- 47mins
Outswinging corner taken right-footed by El-Hadji Diouf played to the near post, clearance made by Alberto Zapater.
- 47mins
El-Hadji Diouf crosses the ball, Correa Anderson Polga gets a block in.
- 46mins
Kyle Lafferty concedes a free kick for a foul on Filipe Daniel Carrico. Direct free kick taken by Pedro Rui Patricio.
- 45mins
Outswinging corner taken by El-Hadji Diouf, Madjid Bougherra concedes a free kick for a foul on Filipe Daniel Carrico. Direct free kick taken by Pedro Rui Patricio.
- 45mins
Steven Whittaker takes a shot. Save made by Pedro Rui Patricio.
- 45mins
Caution for El-Hadji Diouf.
- 45mins
Foul by de Oliveira Cristiano on Vladimir Weiss, free kick awarded. Vladimir Weiss takes the free kick.
- 44mins
Vladimir Weiss delivers the ball, Header by Kyle Lafferty from deep inside the penalty area misses to the left of the goal.
- 44mins
The ball is delivered by Richard Foster, Correa Anderson Polga manages to make a clearance.
- 44mins
Alberto Zapater challenges Maurice Edu unfairly and gives away a free kick. Free kick taken by David Weir.
- 43mins
Kyle Lafferty is caught offside. Pedro Rui Patricio restarts play with the free kick.
- 43mins
Steven Whittaker takes a shot. Pedro Rui Patricio makes a save.
- 42mins
Yanick Djalo takes a shot. Save by Allan McGregor.
- 39mins
Steven Whittaker has a shot on goal from outside the area which misses left.
- 39mins
The ball is swung over by El-Hadji Diouf, clearance by Correa Anderson Polga.
- 38mins
Booking for Madjid Bougherra for unsporting behaviour.
- 38mins
A cross is delivered by Alberto Zapater, Header by Helder Postiga from deep inside the penalty area misses to the left of the target.
- 38mins
The ball is swung over by Yanick Djalo.
- 35mins
Effort on goal by Pedro Mendes from a long way out goes over the bar.
- 35mins
Correa Anderson Polga takes a shot. Steven Davis gets a block in.
- 35mins
Corner taken right-footed by Pedro Mendes from the right by-line, Madjid Bougherra manages to make a clearance.
- 34mins
Correa Anderson Polga delivers the ball, blocked by Madjid Bougherra.
- 34mins
Outswinging corner taken by de Oliveira Cristiano from the left by-line, clearance made by Steven Whittaker.
- 31mins
The ball is delivered by Steven Whittaker, Kyle Lafferty has a headed effort from close range and clears the bar.
- 30mins
Sasa Papac is ruled offside. Indirect free kick taken by Pedro Rui Patricio.
- 30mins
Handball by Helder Postiga. Indirect free kick taken by Madjid Bougherra.
- 29mins
Yanick Djalo concedes a free kick for a foul on Madjid Bougherra. Allan McGregor restarts play with the free kick.
- 28mins
Kyle Lafferty is penalised for handball and concedes a free kick. Free kick taken by Correa Anderson Polga.
- 27mins
Yanick Djalo concedes a free kick for a foul on Madjid Bougherra. Free kick taken by Madjid Bougherra.
- 26mins
Kyle Lafferty handles the ball and concedes a free kick. Free kick taken by Pedro Rui Patricio.
- 26mins
The ball is delivered by Steven Whittaker.
- 26mins
Richard Foster sends in a cross, clearance by Correa Anderson Polga.
- 25mins
The official flags Helder Postiga offside. Allan McGregor takes the indirect free kick.
- 25mins
Nuno Maniche fouled by Maurice Edu, the ref awards a free kick. Free kick taken by Nuno Maniche.
- 23mins
The assistant referee signals for offside against Sasa Papac. Pedro Joao Pereira restarts play with the free kick.
- 23mins
Corner taken by Pedro Mendes played to the near post, Filipe Daniel Carrico produces a header from deep inside the six-yard box that clears the crossbar.
- 22mins
Santos Evaldo takes a shot. Madjid Bougherra gets a block in.
- 21mins
Pedro Joao Pereira delivers the ball.
- 20mins
Helder Postiga produces a right-footed shot from deep inside the penalty box which goes wide of the right-hand upright.
- 19mins
Santos Evaldo crosses the ball.
- 19mins
Alberto Zapater challenges Vladimir Weiss unfairly and gives away a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Sasa Papac.
- 16mins
Madjid Bougherra fouled by Yanick Djalo, the ref awards a free kick. Madjid Bougherra takes the free kick.
- 15mins
El-Hadji Diouf is caught offside. Pedro Joao Pereira takes the free kick.
- 14mins
The ball is swung over by El-Hadji Diouf, Pedro Joao Pereira manages to make a clearance.
- 14mins
The ball is swung over by El-Hadji Diouf, Pedro Mendes gets a block in.
- 13mins
Helder Postiga takes a shot from a long way out clearing the bar.
- 11mins
Unfair challenge on Yanick Djalo by David Weir results in a free kick. Free kick crossed left-footed by de Oliveira Cristiano from right channel, save made by Allan McGregor.
- 10mins
Helder Postiga is ruled offside. Free kick taken by David Weir.
- 9mins
Santos Evaldo is penalised for handball and concedes a free kick. Free kick crossed right-footed by El-Hadji Diouf, clearance by Filipe Daniel Carrico.
- 8mins
The referee gives a free kick against Helder Postiga for handball. Direct free kick taken by Allan McGregor.
- 6mins
Effort from outside the penalty box by Nuno Maniche goes wide left of the target.
- 5mins
Alberto Zapater takes a shot from 35 yards and went wide of the right-hand upright.
- 5mins
Madjid Bougherra takes a shot. Pedro Rui Patricio makes a comfortable save.
- 2mins
Pedro Mendes challenges El-Hadji Diouf unfairly and gives away a free kick. Free kick taken by Madjid Bougherra.
Match Preview
Rangers manager Walter Smith insists there is no chance of him fielding a weakened team against Sporting Lisbon despite a crucial Old Firm derby looming this weekend.
The Scottish champions host Sporting in the last 32 of the Europa League at Ibrox on Thursday evening, before making the short trip to the east end of Glasgow to face Celtic in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League on Sunday.
But, as Rangers continue to battle on four fronts for silverware, Smith refused to prioritise the competitions his side are involved in, while stressing how seriously he is taking the challenge of their Portuguese visitors.
"It's an important game on Sunday but this one is an important game too," he said.
"We don't enter tournaments to lose them. We want to do as well as we possibly can. We didn't start out in the Europa League, we started out in the Champions League and were unable to stay in the Champions League. We are in the Europa League and we want to do as well as we can.
"Someone asked me if we take the League Cup in Scotland seriously. We have been in every final since I came back so I just replied that they should ask everybody else if they take it seriously. We take all the games we have seriously.
"I don't think you can pick and choose what you wish to be successful in. You want to do well in every game you play and every tournament you play in."
Sporting coach Paulo Sergio, meanwhile, has urged his players to put recent events firmly in the past and show courage.
The teams head into the encounter with contrasting recent form.
Rangers are bolstered by a comprehensive 6-0 win over Motherwell to keep them in touch with SPL leaders Celtic, while Sporting's 2-2 draw with Olhanense leaves them trailing Porto by a staggering 23 points in their own domestic competition.
Such poor league form, coupled with the loss of star striker Liedson in January and reports of problems behind the scenes, means the Europa League has taken on even more significance for the Portuguese side.
"Being a knockout game, it's very important," Sergio said.
"Usually the weaker teams look at these games with fear but we can't look at the game with fear, we need to be motivated. We have a strong mentality. The issues don't help us but we have to concentrate and do our job as best we can. After a bad result, we have to be together and positive about the future.
"The weak man sees fear in everything but we have to be strong, we have to show courage and be brave. That's what I want my team to do."
There will be a familiar face among the opposition ranks for the Ibrox faithful when Pedro Mendes makes an emotional return, and Sporting skipper Daniel Carrico revealed his team-mates have already been pumping the former Gers midfielder for information.
He said: "He has spoken to the players and told us it's a fantastic stadium and a fantastic atmosphere; it's the type of stadium everyone would want to play in one day.
"He has given us some information on the players and his former colleagues. It's a game for everyone to look forward to."
endM
Rangers
Sporting
- Allan McGregor
- Richard Foster
- Madjid Bougherra
- David Weir
- Sasa Papac
- Steven Whittaker
- Maurice Edu
- Steven Davis
- Vladimir Weiss
- El-Hadji Diouf
- Kyle Lafferty
- SUBS
- Neil Alexander
- John Fleck
- Steven Naismith
- David Healy
- Kyle Bartley
- Gregg Wylde
- Kyle Hutton
Home
Away
- Pedro Rui Patricio
- Pedro Joao Pereira
- Filipe Daniel Carrico
- Correa Anderson Polga
- Santos Evaldo
- Pedro Mendes
- Nuno Maniche
- Alberto Zapater
- de Oliveira Cristiano
- Helder Postiga
- Yanick Djalo
- SUBS
- Ferreira Tiago
- Miguel Carlos Saleiro
- Matias Fernandez
- Filipe Andre Santos
- Ferreira Diogo Solomao
- Nuno Andre Coelho
- Simon Vukcevic
Match Report
Late goal hurts Gers Rangers were dealt a blow when Matias Fernandez grabbed a late leveller to deny them victory over Sporting Lisbon, who left Ibrox with a 1-1 draw in the Europa League. Steven Whittaker - who netted a superb goal against the same team en-route to the UEFA Cup final three years ago - was on the scoresheet again but it was not enough to claim victory. The tie now hangs in the balance ahead of next week's second leg in Lisbon. Kyle Lafferty was handed the role of lone striker as Rangers made three changes from their 6-0 win over Motherwell, with El-Hadji Diouf making his debut playing just behind Lafferty. As well as Lafferty, Richard Foster and Maurice Edu were both added to the team, with Kyle Bartley dropping to the bench. Injury doubt Steven Naismith was also named among the substitutes, while Nikica Jelavic was ineligible for the European clash. Rangers carved out the first real chance of the game when Madjid Bougherra weaved his way past a couple of players before unleashing the shot, but his effort was weak and easily smothered by goalkeeper Rui Patricio. At the other end, a poor clearance from Allan McGregor gifted possession to Sporting, but the goalkeeper was able to breathe a sigh of relief when Maniche's tame shot fell well wide of the target. McGregor then comfortably gathered a curling free-kick from Cristiano after the visitors had the chance to pile on the pressure when David Weir conceded a foul 25 yards out. Sporting squandered another decent chance when Helder Postiga's angled drive fizzed across the face of goal and past the upright. The best chance so far fell to Rangers when Diouf released Whittaker down the right flank and he provided the cross for Lafferty only for the big striker to nod over. Diouf then tried to pick out Lafferty in the box for the header, but the goalkeeper punched clear before Whittaker hooked the rebound over. McGregor came to the rescue of Rangers just before the break when he blocked a point-blank effort from Yannick Djalo. Rangers looked dangerous after the interval and could have been ahead within a minute of the restart. Diouf provided the knockdown for Whittaker and his thunderous shot drew a decent save from Patricio. Rangers continued to press for the opener and Lafferty saw his shot deflected past goal before Sasa Papac's effort from distance also fell across the goal and wide. The breakthrough came after 66 minutes when Whittaker rose above everyone else in the box to meet Vladimir Weiss' corner and dispatch a powerful header into the back of the net. Sporting could have levelled when former Rangers favourite Pedro Mendes tried his luck with a shot that was spilled by McGregor. Postiga followed up and rifled into the side netting but he was offside anyway. However, Sporting claimed what could be a crucial away goal with a minute to go when substitute Fernandez met a cross from the right and bulleted a header past McGregor.
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