Rangers secured a crucial 2-1 victory against Kilmarnock, with manager Philippe Clement commending his team’s mental fortitude in the second half. The Gers faced adversity in the initial 45 minutes, with Clement likening their performance to “Bambi on ice.”
After going into the break trailing due to an 11th-minute penalty converted by Danny Armstrong, Rangers orchestrated a comeback in the second half. Goals from James Tavernier and Tom Lawrence within four minutes secured the win and maintained their two-point lead over Celtic at the top of the league.
Clement, reflecting on the match, highlighted the key factors that contributed to their success. “Resilience, mentality, solidarity, and the quality to adapt,” he said. “We started the game well with a good set-piece from which we could have scored – but they saved it on the line. Had we gone in front, it’s a totally different game.”
The Belgian boss acknowledged the challenging moments in the first half, stating, “After 10 minutes, you get this penalty against you, which was a frustrating moment because the whole scenario goes against you. At moments I felt my players were like Bambi on ice. They had to adapt to that, and we spoke about it at half-time. After that, they were great. We were massive in every sense, the resilience, the tempo, the fighting spirit. This is a major win.”
Clement expressed his satisfaction with the team’s unity, emphasizing that they no longer buckle under pressure. “This is not a group of players anymore who stop or quit or become nervous. They stick together, they fight hard, and they show quality,” he added.
Despite the significant victory, Clement questioned the decision-making of the match officials regarding a potential late penalty. “We could have had a penalty also to make the job easier at the end. I want to hear the reason why they give the first penalty and the second not. That’s really not clear for me,” he said, expressing his perplexity over the VAR decision.
The manager also expressed concern about losing January signing Oscar Cortes to injury late in the game. With Rangers’ injury list growing, Clement hopes the setback isn’t too serious. “We didn’t give away a lot. It is not easy when the other team plays like that. We not only defended, we tried to create also,” he said, reflecting on the challenges his team faced.
In conclusion, Clement expressed his confusion over the penalty decisions and urged for clarity in interpreting handball situations. “So we go back to the story about handballs. I hope you guys can explain something about that because it was a really weird situation again for me,” he added.