Rangers v Benfica – Referee watch, minute of madness costs Clement’s men

In order to secure a result against Benfica that would maintain the tie,

Rangers would always require a little bit of luck.

The goal was always to take the Portuguese powerhouses back to Ibrox

with a chance to go to the quarterfinals, as Gers manager Philippe Clement is

never one to back down from a challenge.

We also needed the referee to give us a favor,

and Rangers have someone who has done so in the past in Tobias Stieler.

However, has he supported us against Benfica, the big boys?

He sent off a player for the home team the first time, against Alashkert in

Armenia, and the second time, away against Ajaz in the Champions League.

The better to say nothing at all about that game.

However, Stieler has experience officiating at this level of European competition,

which is why he is frequently chosen to officiate in the Champions League and Europa League knockout stages.

Early on, Stieler was eager to let play flow, and anything other than blatant fouls were ignored by both sides.

After only a few minutes, though, there was a fright when James Tavernier was backed into going

for a header on the edge of the box, but the referee did not award it, causing a brief panic in the defence.

 

When Dujon Sterling went shoulder to shoulder in the box, there was less panic than thoughtfulness for 17 minutes.

Although there is usually a winner in this situation, even in 50/50 situations,

continental referees aren’t always as understanding when it comes to physical challenges.

 

Stieler made excellent refereeing decisions, awarding a goal kick and dismissing Benfica’s objections.

Ten minutes later, Sterling wasn’t as fortunate and was the first player in the book.

The utility man overextended himself after a hefty touch, which is a bad habit he needs to break.

Stieler made another accurate call.

The Argentina great Angel di Maria was the next to enter the book, which resulted in the handbags being thrown around.

He shoved Ridvan Yilmaz, who was preventing the winger from receiving the ball for a free kick.

A strong word and keep up the excellent work, referees.

Di Maria was involved again as he raced onto a through ball, Connor Goldson couldn’t get there

quick enough but the veteran’s appeals for a penalty were waved away.

As were Sterling’s just a few moments later as he burst into the box.

John Souttar wasn’t so fortunate a minute before halftime; it was Stieler’s first and worst error.

The large defender didn’t get any kind of advantage either because his arm was below his shoulder line.

The ball obviously struck Souttar’s arm, but he headed it onto it himself.

This shouldn’t have been a penalty, and the referees have severely let Rangers down.

For forty-five minutes, they were flawless, making all the right decisions. However,

when officials start relying only on their observations and stop depending on them, the handball law has to be reviewed.

Rangers lost a goal, but what further losses might they incur?

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