Angeliño scored five minutes from time to finally break Rangers’ resistance in a keenly fought semi-final first leg.
A late volley from Angeliño secured victory for Leipzig and a 1-0 advantage against a stubborn Rangers side at the halfway stage of their UEFA Europa League semi-final.
Key moments
48′ Kent slides shot across face of goal
53′ McGregor saves Nkunku effort
69′ Nkunku misses golden chance
85′ Angeliño volleys in only goal
Match in brief: Angeliño strike nudges Leipzig ahead
Leipzig had more of the ball in the first half, but their only chance fell to Christopher Nkunku, who was unable to get his shot on target.
The game opened up more after the interval and Ryan Kent sent an effort across the face of goal, before Nkunku’s well-struck shot was pushed away by Allan McGregor.
Nkunku then spurned a great chance to put his side ahead, running through the defence and getting past McGregor, only to send his effort high and wide of the unguarded target.
But just as it looked as though the match would end in a stalemate, the deadlock was broken when Leipzig’s only corner of the night was headed out as far as Angeliño, who returned it with considerable interest, out of McGregor’s reach and into the back of the net.
Reaction
Joe Aribo, Rangers forward, speaking to BT Sport: “All in all, we are disappointed. We thought we could see the game out, but there’s still a big game to come at Ibrox. We wanted to stay compact and we did that for the most part until they got that goal late in the game.”
Tyler Adams, Leipzig midfielder: “It was one of those games where we had to dig deep. They had a clear game plan and made life hard, but we got the result we wanted. It was a wonderful goal from Angeliño.”
Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Rangers manager speaking to BT Sport: “It’s always disappointing when you lose a goal so late in the game, but it’s a 1-0 defeat. The players did well and we know what we have to do next week. We play at home and the crowd at Ibrox will give us the energy we need.”
Kenny Miller, BT Sport
“It’s not a disaster. It’s not a bad result to take back to Ibrox. The tie is very much alive and it’s all to play for next week.”
