Olympiakos 1 – 1 Rangers
Cryriel Dessers cancelled out a stunning second-half strike from Ayoub El-Kaabi to earn Rangers a 1-1 draw at Olympiakos in the Europa League.
El-Kaabi added to his stellar record in the competition with a volley to break the deadlock before Dessers latched onto a Vaclav Cerny pass and found the back of the net with a composed finish to even the score.
The two sides remain level on points in the Europa League with seven each.
The pre-match chatter was dominated by the omission of Rangers captain James Tavernier from the starting XI. He was replaced by Dujon Sterling as Philippe Clement – whose position has been the subject of scrutiny following a poor start to the Scottish Premiership season – made three changes to the side that edged Motherwell to reach the Scottish League Cup final.
Both sides made energetic starts to the first half, trading attacks early on. The best of the opportunities fell to Dessers, who failed to convert.
Konstantinos Tzolakis came out on top of the Rangers striker on two occasions before the break, keeping him out one-on-one before denying him from close range after an impressive run and ball into the box from Cerny.
Dessers eventually got his goal after the hour mark – his second in two games after scoring in the semi-final victory at the weekend.
More to follow…
