Allan McGregor’s performance against Villarreal secured a massive point in what was a result to thank the goalkeeper for.
Before Daniel Candeias’ unusual red card, McGregor made two heroic stops from Karl Toko Ekambi when the Nigerian was through on goal. The big striker will feel he should’ve burst the net with both, but he couldn’t find a way past the outstanding McGregor.
The saves kept Rangers level in the 0-0 draw, and gave the Ibrox side a real chance of qualification. A win at Rapid Vienna on match-day six will be enough to secure qualification to the last 32. Rangers have it all in their hands now after a heroic display in front of their own fans.
McGregor, however, deserves to take the plaudits after yet another clean sheet. That’s now his 10th shutout of the season since returning to Ibrox for his second spell.
As well as the Ekambi chances, the former Hull City shot-stopper made some clever second-half stops too. His anticipation and awareness of when to come out was also on full show in a terrific display. It’s fair to say that without McGregor in goal, Rangers would’ve suffered a much more demoralising result.
A true Rangers hero
The Rangers number one has made 26 appearances for the club this season, and has quickly became a fan-favourite once more. This is despite the fact he was one of the infamous stars who left the club before being demoted to Division Three.
McGregor has certainly had to take the long road back to redemption. It all came to a peak against Villarreal, however. His one-on-one saves weren’t just routine either, with his second seeing him throw an instinctive hand up to halt a powerful Ekambi strike.
There’s absolutely no denying he’s going to be needed in Austria once more. Vienna were terrific at Spartak Moscow, and fully deserved their 2-1 win in Russia. They created several big chances, and will work McGregor like he was tonight.
Of course, this was a win that shows the character flowing through Rangers. Is it a great result in the context of the group? That’s debatable, but it was another positive sign for Steven Gerrard’s men.
McGregor, however, was the main man to thank for tonight’s morale-boosting point.
