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      Rangers 0 Benfica 1 (2-3 on Agg) – Gers OUT of Europa League as Rafa Silva’s second half goal ends run at last 16 stage

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      PHILIPPE CLEMENT said before kick-off a Rangers victory could become an exhibit in the Ibrox museum.Unfortunately, his team’s Europa League campaign is now a thing of the past.Rangers’ Connor Goldson looks dejected after the matchafa Silva of Benfica celebrates after scoring the opening goalThe Belgian’s side gave everything for a priceless result to take them into the last eight of the competition.But it’s Benfica who got the win to take into their history books.Rafa Silva’s crucial goal that separated these two sides over legs was initially disallowed for off-side but a VAR check confirmed the strike would stand.It was an agonising end of this Euro run that had Rangers supporters dreaming of reaching the final in Dublin in May.But the 50,000 inside Ibrox for this early kick-off saluted the efforts of their heroes after the final whistle.There’s no shame whatsoever in losing to the Portuguese giants.But in the cold light of day, Clement and his players will believe they passed up a glorious opportunity to reach the quarter finals.Had Cyriel Dessers taken a big chance at the start of the second half here it could easily have turned out different.In the end it wasn’t to be, but there were still some big, imposing performances out there for Rangers.Skipper James Tavernier was immense in both directions down the right flank.Big John Souttar was the same. If not better.The Scotland centre-back was aggressive and decisive when he had to go and win the ball on the deck or in the air. When he was in possession he was calm and cool, fizzing balls forward into the feet of the midfielders ahead of him.There were still moments of anxiety in the first-half that would have worried Clement.John Lundstram was a key man bringing the ball out from the back with Souttar and Connor Goldson splitting.But the best Benfica chance of the opening 45 minutes came when the Scouse defender took his eye off the ball in the middle of the park and lost it.Thankfully for Lundstram, Tavernier made a timely last ditch block to make sure all the Portuguese side got out of it was a corner.All in all, there wasn’t a great deal between the sides by the time the half-time whistle went.Rangers could have been ahead given how much of the ball they enjoyed. Yet they didn’t trouble goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin nearly enough.The Ukrainian did make one impressive save to keep out a shot from Dessers, but the Ibrox striker had wandered into an off-side position when Tom Lawrence picked him out. Even had Trubin not made the stop, it wouldn’t have counted.1Cyriel Dessers dejectionThere were other moments that had the home support up off their seats. Lawrence fired an early shot on target that the Benfica No1 almost spilled into his net.Scott Wright – in the line-up with Dujon Sterling injured – was also lively whenever he got into the final third.It was just the final ball that let Rangers down. For all their good play, they didn’t carve out a big chance to take the lead before the interval and that would have been something that frustrated Clement and his backroom staff.Benfica would certainly have been the happier of the two teams that there was still nothing between the sides when they came back out.They made a change for the restart, striker Casper Tengstedt replacing Marcos Leonardo which was a sign that their coach, Roger Schmidt, wanted more from his attack.Just two minutes into the second-half, though, it was Rangers who had to expect better from their frontman.Wright did brilliantly to burst forward and pick out Dessers inside the box.Rangers manager Philippe Clement gestures from the sidelineBut after chopping inside, the Belgian fired his shot with his right foot – when he should have used his left – and he didn’t get nearly enough power on it with the opportunity wasted.It was still a good restart, though, and a sign that Rangers could be the team that got the next goal in the tie.They still had to be careful at the back.Goldson picked up a booking for hauling back Rafa Silva as he got away from him and, in truth, it was probably a good yellow card to get. If anything, he should have fouled him sooner. Or harder.Because in 66 minutes it was the little forward who made it 1-0 to Benfica.The galling thing for Rangers was that it came from a corner they had at the other end.But, like they did all night, they didn’t leave enough cover back on the halfway line and they were wide open to be hit on the break. Could Dessers have done better inside the Benfica box to stop the attack unfolding in the first place? It certainly looked that way.But you had to credit Angel Di Maria for setting up Silva with a perfectly timed pass which saw the Portuguese burst from his own half and into the Rangers box to beat Butland.At first it looked like the goal would be ruled out for off-side after the linesman raised his flag. But an agonising VAR check confirmed that Silva was in his own half when Di Maria passed to him and that the strike would stand.Rangers ran out of legs in the closing minutes despite changed and Benfica held on to take their place in the today’s draw for the next round.Team newsKeep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page  More

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      Hibs star Martin Boyle taken to hospital after suffering horror head injury in cup clash vs Rangers

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      HIBS have confirmed Martin Boyle was rushed to hospital after suffering a horror head injury in the Scottish Cup defeat to Rangers.The winger collided with Gers defender John Souttar eight minutes before half-time at Easter Road.Boyle and Souttar collidedCredit: PAMedics raced on to the park to treat the Hibs aceCredit: Willie VassHe was stretchered off after lengthy treatmentCredit: PAThe Hibees have tonight confirmed that Boyle, thankfully, is in a stable condition.Boyle remained on the ground, with referee Steven McLean stopping the game and calling for the medical staff.Both Boyle’s Hibs teammates and Rangers stars looked on concerned as the medics raced onto the park.Rangers’ team doctor assisted his Hibees counterparts in tending to the 30-year old.The game was delayed by more than seven minutes as Boyle received treatment.A stretcher was called for and Boyle was taken off and replaced by Elie Youan.Boyle was taken straight to hospital after being substituted.Referee McLean added on nine additional minutes at the end of the half after the lengthy delay.Most read in FootballShortly after the full-time whistle, Hibs posted an update on Boyle’s status.The club said: “Hibernian FC can confirm that Martin Boyle is now in a stable condition in hospital.”The winger went straight to hospital after the first half collision against Rangers and is receiving the best possible care.”The club would like to thank the speed of both clubs’ medical departments in attending to Martin on the pitch. “Everyone at Hibernian FC wishes Martin a speedy recovery.”Prior to the Boyle worry, John Lundstram had given Rangers the lead.The midfielder followed-up James Tavernier’s penalty that had been well saved by David Marshall.Fabio Silva struck late doors to make it 2-0 after Hibs had both Jordan Obita and Nathan Moriah-Welsh sent off.Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page  More

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      Shocking moment Rangers and ITALIAN hooligans fight with weapons and throw chairs & metal barriers ahead of Benfica game

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      THIS is the shocking moment Rangers yobs battled with hooligans from Italian outfit Atalanta when they attacked them in a Lisbon hotel ahead of tonight’s clash with Benfica. A group of ultras from the Bergamo-based Serie A side were also in town to watch their team play out a 1-1 first leg draw against Sporting Lisbon. The Italian hooligans congregate outside the hotelRangers fans, including one man wearing a Gers strip, spill out of the hotel barThe groups exchange missiles, including tables and chairsAnd they clearly had plans on some organised violence as they swooped on a group of Gers fans who were in the Eden Aparthotel in the city. The Gers face Benfica at the Stadium of Light in a Europa League last 16 tie this evening.Video widely shared on various social media accounts this morning shows more than 100 ultras involved in the violence.It shows Italian hooligans – some of them wielding belts and other items as weapons – congregating in the doorway as missiles are fired back and forward between the two groups. The Rangers fans – with some supporters clad in strips – then break out of the hotel to chase their rivals up the square as sporadic running battles continue. Footage shows the yobs throwing a heavy chair back and forward at each other while others pick up huge metal barriers and lob them at their rival thugs.The Rangers fans then charge at the Italians who can be seen running away across the square and round a corner.Police sirens can be heard as the authorities attempted to get to grips with the shocking violence.Most read in Europa LeagueMeanwhile, Philippe Clement played down suggestions that Europe wasn’t important compared to the club’s quest to reclaim the Premiership title from Celtic. The Belgian, who is also dealing with a major injury crisis, told reporters: “There were some people on the board that told me before our European game (against Real Betis) that it was more important to win the League Cup.PDC darts referee jumps in with Rangers ultras during visit to Ibrox”I told them I never do work that way.”I want players who are hungry for every occasion and want to do it every game.”It doesn’t work that way. It’s not like a menu in a restaurant that you pick up.”It’s a busy schedule, yes that’s true, but I’ve been working hard with all the players and the staff to get everyone ready.”It’s about the players themselves too, to show that they’re ready for this kind of competition.Shocking clashes take place on the streetGers fans chase their rivals into the squareThe violence spills out into the squareFurther clashes ensue”I want players hungry to win every occasion, you don’t create a winning culture if you look to the next game. “We are going to go full for this game, then full again at the weekend. READ MORE SUN STORIES”We will go like this to the end of the season.”Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page  More

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      Arsenal legend became kitman’s worst nightmare with bizarre requests including Vaseline on his flip-flops

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      ARSENAL legend Freddie Ljungberg became the Gunners kitman’s worst nightmare and prewarned Celtic of his “high maintenance”.The Swedish icon thrived under Arsene Wenger in North London but former Celtic star Charlie Mulgrew has revealed that there was more than meets the eye with the star.Freddie Ljungberg was ‘high maintenance’ at Arsenal according to the kitmanCredit: PACeltic star Charlie Mulgrew revealed the Gunners kitman prewarned the Scottish side of LjungbergCredit: Kenny RamsayLjungberg, 46, had a glittering career at the Gunners being a versatile player who was a key man during Wenger’s golden years at the club.But according to Mulgrew the kitman at Arsenal did not enjoy accommodating the former winger during his nine-year spell.And he even contacted the Scottish side’s kitman to alert him about the player’s demands.Mulgrew told Clyde One’s Superscoreboard: “He was really high maintenance, Freddie Ljungberg. READ MORE ON ARSENAL”I spoke to the kitman at Celtic and the Arsenal kitman actually phoned him and said ‘You do not know what you’re getting yourself in for here, Freddie Ljungberg is so high maintenance’.”Arsenal snatched Ljungberg from Halmstad for £3million in 1998 and went on to make 216 appearances and won two league titles, three FA Cups and a Community Shield.But former defender Mulgrew even revealed the bizarre requests Ljungberg would ask for.He continued: “Within a couple of days he asked for a couple of flip-flops that don’t get wet… there you go. Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS”Obviously, all flip flops are water-proof but he wanted ones that were ultra-waterproof. “I don’t know, maybe sealed, with Vaseline over the top of them. That’s what he asked for. You should have seen the amount of stuff he had at his place in the dressing room.”I slide tackled Arsene Wenger and Thierry Henry on my Arsenal trial – I couldn’t believe manager’s reactionThe ex-Sweden international spent time at West Ham, Seattle Sounders and Chicago Fire before heading to Celtic.He joined the Scottish Premiership side on a free transfer after impressing the Bhoys after a one-week trial.But thankfully for the kitman Ljungberg only lasted eight months at the club before making a move to Japan to sign with Shimizu S-Pulse.Again Ljungberg spent less than a year in Japan before hanging up his boots.However, he decided to make a comeback in 2014 as part of the Indian Super League making just four appearances for Mumbai City before finally calling it quits on his career.He then returned to North London to manage the youth teams and was most recently an assistant coach and interim head coach of Arsenal. More

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      Inside the £100m new Celtic stadium plan that claimed to be ‘best in the WORLD’ – and how site looks now

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      CELTIC currently have the biggest football stadium in Scotland – but it could all have been very different.That’s if a plan proposed by beleaguered members of the old Hoops board 30 years ago had come to fruition. The plans envisaged a £100m – 52,000 seater stadiumThe plans of the siteAn artist’s impression of the plansThirty years to the day since Fergus McCann completed his transformational takeover of Celtic and ousted the old board, SunSport looks back on their plans to move the club away from it’s historic home.Younger supporters might be amazed to find out that before Parkhead was redeveloped into it’s current form, the club almost moved lock, stock and barrel to Cambuslang.It’s all a bit of a trek from the club’s existing home, but in some ways the plans for the 52,000 all-seater stadium and multi-purpose events venue could be seen as visionary.The incentive was the Taylor Report commissioned in the wake of the Hillsborough disaster, which clubs had to conform to by 1994.Chairman Kevin Kelly was pictured at the site with his arms held aloft, declaring a new dawn for the club. Puff pieces in the Celtic View envisaged it as the ‘best stadium in the world’.Given an overall price tag of £100m, the plans revealed in April 1992 included a ‘space age roof’.There would be parking spaces for 4,500 cars, plus an integrated Celtic heritage museum on the site.Most read in FootballThen there was a retail village – including major stores and even CAR showrooms. Not forgetting a 30-lane ten-pin bowling alley and an eight screen cinema complex.Not only that, but there would be sports and leisure facilities on site.The plans included a permanent performance stage – with a mobile acoustic curtain enclosing 15,000 seats. There would be drive-through fast food restaurants, office units and a petrol station. Not to mention room for further expansion on the site.Working with London-based firm Superstadia, the Hoops had considered a whopping FIFTEEN sites, including Celtic Park itself and the likes of Linwood, Robroyston and St Rollox.But they had settled on the Bogleshole Road site in Cambuslang – in order to ‘maintain their East End roots’.The site is now occupied by Tennent’sThe site now is Tennent’s Caledonian Breweries Distribution WarehouseJohn McGinn’s grandad Jack was the man tasked with sourcing finance for the deal – with the first priority raising £26m for the first 32,000 seats (the two touchline stands) with the rest added later.But problems were afoot. First reports claimed the site was a toxic ”timebomb” riddled with up to 5000 different chemicals, many of them poisonous and cancerous.While this was denied, the proposal was widely unpopular within the Celtic support, who didn’t want to leave their spiritual home.Putting on a united front to the media, the capacity of the new ground had altered to just 40,000.Funding was thought to have been secured via a London company called Gefinor, only for the plans to be thrown into confusion again when they denied all knowledge. The whole thing was coming apart at the seams – with the unpopular stadium plan and apparent funding shortfall only adding to the ‘Celts for Change’ campaign. In came McCann and the rest is history – as the Cambuslang plan was scrapped re-shaping of Celtic Park took shape instead.As for the Cambuslang site, some of it is now occupied by a Tennent’s Caledonian Breweries Distribution Warehouse. READ MORE SUN STORIESIt remains a fascinating footnote in Hoops history.Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page  More

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      Shocking moment Celtic star Joe Hart is HELD BACK from Hearts fans by teammate after penalty strike

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      CELTIC failed to regain top spot in the league after a 2-0 loss to Hearts at Tynecastle.The Premiership clash mustered up a drama filled 90 minutes as FOUR VAR checks grabbed the headlines.The ball appeared to be thrown at Hart as he tried to retrieve it for the restartCameron Carter-Vickers approached his teammate to usher him awayThe pair left the stand to restart the game after going 1-0 downThe first big call was a penalty awarded to Celtic in the opening 15 minutes when Don Robertson pointed to the spot without the help of VAR – which immediately backed his decision.Adam Idah failed to convert the spot kick before Yang Hyun-jun was sent off for a high boot.And that was the second big call of the day as VAR intervened to prompt the referee to upgrade Yang’s yellow card to a red.VAR was involved again when Tomoki Iwata was penalised for a handball, something that came as a surprise to pundits including Kris Boyd.The resulting spot kick was converted by Jorge Grant and it was amid the celebrations that Joe Hart was tangled in an altercation with home fans.As the keeper hurried to get the ball to send up to the halfway line for play to resume, he was taunted by Hearts fans.The ball was thrown in his direction as he reacted angrily to the support, exchanging words with the fans.Teammate Cameron Carter-Vickers ran over to Hart before putting his arm around him and ushering him away from the stand.Most read in FootballHearts scored a second goal before half time which was ruled offside by VAR in a dramatic first half.But they struck again in the second half through captain Lawrence Shankland to take all three points.Moment Celtic-daft Gerard Butler scores acrobatic volley for his beloved Hoops – in a feature filmThe loss means Brendan Rodgers’ men remain two points behind league leaders Rangers with nine games remaining.The Hoops boss called out VAR assistant John Beaton after the full time whistle.The Irishman claimed that the official was “probably seeing something different to everyone else” with regards to Yang’s high boot and Iwata’s handball.Speaking after the game, he said: “I never like to comment on the officials, that’s not something I do. But that cost us today the officiating, from on field and from John Beaton on VAR.”That was really, really poor.”Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page  More

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      Shocking moment ex-Premiership star PUNCHES opponent after allegedly being subjected to vile ‘deeply racist’ abuse

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      A former Scottish Premiership star has been involved in a shocking incident while playing for his new club.The dramatic scenes saw the defender PUNCH an opponent, who he alleges racially abused him.
      Luiyi De Lucas was a Livingston player until last monthCredit: Kenny Ramsay
      De Lucas was at the centre of a shocking incident in Cyprus
      The defender punched opponent Eliel Peretz
      The defender was visibly furious with the opponent as he swung a kick
      De Lucas had to be held back and now he’s alleged why
      Apollon Limassol and AEL Limassol went head-to-head in the Cypriot Cup quarter-finals.
      Former France star Mathieu Valbuena’s 41st minute effort looked to have won it for Apollon before all kinds of added time drama.
      A Pedro Marques penalty in the 90th minute made it 2-0 before an AEL penalty made it 2-1 in the 94th minute.
      Marques struck again instantly after and that looked to be that.

      But horrific scenes then arrived right at the final whistle.
      And former Livingston defender Luiyi De Lucas was one of the players at the centre of the incident.
      Having made 22 Premiership appearances, De Lucas left Livi last month after a year in Scottish football.
      Citing homesickness, the 29-year old who’s from Dominican Republic moved to Cyprus to join AEL.
      Most read in Football
      The centre-back was involved in the ugly scenes at the end of this rivalry clash, with pictures captioning the chaotic moment.
      Moments after the referee blows for full-time, Apollon’s Eliel Peretz can be seen saying something to De Lucas.
      The two players then walk towards each other before De Lucas dramatically swings and lands a huge PUNCH to Peretz’s face.
      De Lucas then swings a kick at Peretz, who moves away as other players rush to the scene.
      Teammates can then be seen holding a visibly furious De Lucas back from getting at Peretz any further.
      Peretz can then be seen approaching once more, and further words between the players are exchanged.
      The referee showed a red card to both players.
      It was unclear at the time what had exactly happened, but it was seemingly clear that the former Livingston man was left incensed by something that had been said to him.
      De Lucas, today, has broken his silence on the matter and alleges that he was racially abused by his opponent.
      And he says he has now informed the police about the matter.
      The defender issued an apology for what he described as his own “reckless behaviour.”
      But De Lucas says his actions came about after he was allegedly subject to “constant repeated insults of deeply racist and personal nature.”
      In a lengthy statement posted to X, he said: “With this statement I want to address all the fans of Cyprus, the friends of AEL, the Football Association and all the competent authorities.
      “I express my sincere apology and regret for the incident after the cup match. My actions were unacceptable and unprofessional and I want to apologise firstly to my fellow footballer, but also to everyone for my reckless behaviour.
      “In my professional career I have never had such an incident before. In all the teams I have played for, my behaviuor on and off the field was completely professional and I never had a confrontation with either another colleague or a teammate.
      “In no way do I justify my actions. Unfortunately my mind was clouded by the unacceptable and unprofessional behaviour of the opposing player from the moment he entered the game.
      “During his game I received constant repeated insults of a deeply racist and personal nature. I don’t want to give basis to words being used against me as I hope to move on.
      “Never in my professional career have I experienced this level of verbal racism on the field, the frustration and humiliation I was experiencing was clouding my judgement and my mind. My reaction was an extremely poor attempt to stop what was happening to me.
      “I want to reiterate clearly that there is no excuse for my actions. Being a part of such a fine sport as football that promotes fair play, I feel it is important to provide some clarity as to what I was experiencing prior to my actions.
      “I have already filed a complaint with the Cyprus Police with the help of my lawyer and I have already started the process of reporting the racist behaviour against me to the Competent Authorities of KOP, Uefa and Fifa.
      READ MORE SUN STORIES
      “I want to apologise again to everyone for my behaviour and emphasise that my actions have no place in this sport. Moving forward, I am solely focused on supporting my team and my club.”

      Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page  More

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      England star Jack Butland reveals he snubbed mega-money Premier League return in January transfer window

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      JACK BUTLAND has revealed he told his agent to snub any offers to return to a club in England last month.The goalie has been in stunning form since joining Rangers from Crystal Palace at the start of the season.
      Jack Butland has been in fine form for RangersCredit: Rex
      SunSport told how a megabucks bid from Nottingham Forest was booted out at the end of January, with other clubs circling.
      Now Butland, 31, has told for the first time how he never wanted to go back south anyway.
      He said: “It was a straight no. My agent said ‘This is happening, what do you want to do?’
      “I said ‘No’ and he said ‘I agree’. The club had said no anyway so it was just a no on all fronts from the get-go – and that was that.
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      “We were actually with the team, I think it was deadline day. We were all out altogether at a team event and that was that. There wasn’t even a chance.
      “I’m enjoying it. There is too much to achieve, there is too much left to do.”
      Butland had been on loan at Manchester United from the Eagles before arriving at Ibrox.
      But he’s shown his class again this term, keeping 22 clean sheets in the 42 games he’s played as Gers have hit top spot in the Premiership.
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      England boss Gareth Southgate recently confirmed Butland is in contention for a Three Lions recall after winning the last of his nine caps in 2018.
      Butland believes that is a closer possibility than it’s ever been for a while, with a spot in the squad for this summer’s Euros up for grabs.
      Touching moment Jack Butland FaceTimes 11-year-old kid who went viral for practising his goalkeeping in back garden
      He said: “People have been selected for England from Scotland before. It’s not out of the question but it’s also not a given either.
      “It’s certainly closer now than it has been for the last three, four, maybe five years. It’s as good as I’ve played in that period of time.
      “I’ve been to major tournaments. I would love to go to another one. I still believe I can offer a lot.
      “That comes with doing my job here, that puts me in the conversation. If that gets me in, great. If it doesn’t, then we just carry on.” More