![Kemar Roofe of Rangers celebrates after scoring the 2-0 lead during the UEFA Europa League goup D soccer match between Rangers and Benfica Lisbon in Glasgow](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/football/2020/11/26/TELEMMGLPICT000245405954_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqhapkVlcy4J6MLIykjOByPo2gd4MKWmZpLLJg1iubIMc.jpeg?imwidth=680)
Rangers squander two goal lead and Benfica strike back after Kemar Roofe screamer
For their second meeting in succession, Steven Gerrard's side lost a two-goal advantage but remain in pole position in the group
![Kemar Roofe of Rangers celebrates after scoring the 2-0 lead during the UEFA Europa League goup D soccer match between Rangers and Benfica Lisbon in Glasgow](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/football/2020/11/26/TELEMMGLPICT000245405954_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqhapkVlcy4J6MLIykjOByPo2gd4MKWmZpLLJg1iubIMc.jpeg?imwidth=680)
For the second time in back-to-back meetings with Benfica, Rangers squandered a two-goal advantage which would have put them in pole position to qualify for the last 32 of the Europa League.
They are still in good shape to progress but should have made more of the goals scored by Scott Arfield and Kemar Roofe before Benfica retorted with strikes from Goncalo Ramos and Pizzi.
Also galling for Steven Gerrard and his players was the fact that their opponents were significantly below strength.
Nicolas Otamendi was suspended, having been sent off during the 3-3 draw between these sides in Lisbon last month and Benfica were further weakened by the loss of Julian Weigl, Adel Taaraabt and Darwin Nunez after all three tested positive for Covid-19. The roster of absentees was extended by the loss of Jean-Clair Todibo, who had strained an achilles tendon, Andre Aleida with a ruptured cruciate ligament, Nuno Tavares, the victim of a hip injury and Pedrinho, who had sustained a damaged foot.
In pleasing contrast, Gerrard was able to pick from a virtually trouble-free squad, although Ryan Jack picked up a knock and was replaced by Steven Davis during Sunday’s 4-0 victory over Aberdeen and was not on the bench as the Northern Irishman started. Rangers’ other change was to bring in Glen Kamara for Joe Aribo.
Benfica’s casualty list might, in other circumstances, prompted a degree of complacency in Rangers’ ranks but no such liberty could be taken by Gerrard’s men in the light of their trip to Portugal, where they allowed a two-goal lead to vanish in the final minutes of a contest against 10 men.
There was, though, encouragement to be had from Rangers’ Europa League home record under Steven Gerrard, coming into this tie unbeaten in seven matches at Ibrox, a sequence which included five clean sheets and the loss of only two goals. Benfica, moreover, had never won a European tie in Scotland and had not only lost all four of their previous appearances – against Celtic – but had also gone home without scoring a goal.
The fascination of the numbers in advance of this match extended to the fact that Rangers were the side who had faced fewest shots on target in this season’s tournament, two of which had been delivered in Lisbon and both of which resulted in goals, scored by Nunez and Rafa Silva. They started in similar fashion with an Everton shot inside 45 seconds but it skipped wide.
For the first six minutes Rangers struggled to keep possession bur then stunned Benfica with a pincer movement for the opener. The assault began with a driven cross from Ryan Kent which rifled through the box to Barisic, whose first attempt to return it was blocked. The defender’s next attempt found Kemar Roofe for a header which Helton Leite did well to block.
James Tavernier then headed the rebound against the crossbar and at last the bounce favoured Rangers as Arfield forced the ball over the line. For the rest of the half, Benfica controlled the bulk of possession and play flowed towards Allan McGregor – whose 82nd European appearance equalled the club record set by Barry Ferguson and, although it took a splendid block by Leon Balogun to deny Rafa Silva just before the interval, the Eagles could not muster an effort on the mark.
The pattern resumed without change after the break and, midway through the second half, Rangers once again demonstrated the art of the sucker punch when Borna Barisic exchanged passes with Kamara then fed Roofe, who jinked inside and unleashed a 20-yard drive into the top corner.
Just as the issue looked settled, however, the game entered a sensational passage. It began when Ramos wormed into space on the edge of the six-yard box to strike a drive that was blocked by McGregor and ricocheted from Tavernier into the net.
Alfredo Morelos almost immediately restored Rangers’ prior advantage with a shot palmed into the air by Leite and off the top of the crossbar before play swung again to the other end, where Pizzi – who had replaced Chiquinho – scooped a shot over McGregor to level a tie that had looked well beyond Benfica’s reach