**Liam Kelly the Hero as Rangers Hold Firm for Gritty Draw Against Athletic Club in Europa League Clash**
Liam Kelly emerged as Rangers’ unlikely hero in a tense Europa League quarter-final first leg, saving a crucial second-half penalty to secure a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Athletic Club at Ibrox. The result gives the Scottish side hope as they head into next week’s decisive second leg in Bilbao.
Manager Philippe Clement made the bold decision to drop regular goalkeeper Jack Butland following a string of recent errors, handing Kelly his first start since Rangers’ Scottish Cup exit. The move proved inspired, with the 28-year-old delivering a composed and commanding display under pressure.
Rangers’ night appeared to be heading for disaster early on when defender Robin Propper was shown a straight red card for a professional foul on Inaki Williams, who was clean through on goal. Down to ten men with more than an hour left to play, Rangers were forced to dig deep and defend with discipline against the in-form LaLiga outfit.
Kelly kept his side in the contest with two outstanding saves just before the interval, helping Rangers reach half-time level and keeping their European hopes alive amid a difficult domestic run.
Drama struck midway through the second half when substitute Alex Berenguer thought he had broken the deadlock, only for his close-range finish to be ruled out for offside after a VAR check. However, the technology then spotted a handball by Dujon Sterling in the buildup, awarding Athletic a penalty instead.
Berenguer stepped up to take the spot-kick, but his tame effort straight down the middle was met by a strong leg save from Kelly, sending the Ibrox crowd into a frenzy and preserving Rangers’ clean sheet.
Despite being a man down, Rangers showed resilience and saw out the remainder of the match, taking a valuable result into the second leg in Spain on April 17. With a place in the semi-finals on the line, everything is still to play for.
