Philippe Clement admits Rangers were like ‘Bambi on ice’ in win at Kilmarnock
Philippe Clement claims Rangers were like “Bambi on ice” on the artificial surface at Rugby Park before they held on to top spot in the cinch Premiership with a 2-1 comeback win over Kilmarnock.
On a rain-soaked night, Killie wide-man Danny Armstrong scored from the spot in the 11th minute after a John Lundstram handball.
Gers keeper Jack Butland made a great save from Matty Kennedy early in the second half before a trademark free-kick from Gers captain James Tavernier and a Tom Lawrence strike kept the visitors two points clear of Celtic.
Clement referenced Disney’s animated feature film about Bambi the deer in his post-match analysis.
“Resilience, mentality, solidarity and the quality to adapt,” said Clement, who revealed wide-man Oscar Cortes will be assessed after going off with what looked like a hamstring injury.
“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. But then after 10 minutes you get this penalty against you, which was a frustrating moment.
“You then have an opponent who sits back and waits for your mistakes to make counter attacks and to be dangerous.
“And our tempo was too slow in the first half. We needed some time to adapt because it was a totally different kind of football.
“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 also believes Rangers should have had a penalty late in the game for a Lewis Mayo hand ball.
He said: “One thing to add, we had a penalty given against us but we could have had an easier last five minutes if we’d also been given a penalty.
“I want to hear the reason why they give the first penalty and the second not. That’s really not clear for me.
“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.”
Killie boss Derek McInnes believes individual moments in Rangers’ favour was the difference between the teams.
He said: “Disappointed we never took anything from it.
“But the games comes down to moments. In terms of performance there was nothing between us and Rangers tonight.
“But Jack Butland’s save at 1-0 just confirms how good he is. That’s why he is probably going to the Euros. That was a huge moment for Rangers in the context of the game.
“Tavernier’s free kick at first I thought had gone around the wall and was blaming my goalie and shouting at my goalie coach but the height he got to get it up and over the wall was top class.
“He does that time and time again for Rangers. And for their second goal the ball breaks to Tom Lawrence and it was an unbelievable strike.”
Related items
-
Many-time champions JC, STGC start Manning Cup on positive note
Many-time champions Jamaica College (JC) and St George’s College kicked off their Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association/Digicel Manning Cup campaigns in a positive manner as they blanked Pembroke Hall and Holy Trinity High School 9-0 and 2-0, respectively, on Tuesday.
Jamaica College were led by striker Giovannie Taylor, who scored in the fifth, 45th and 80th minutes. Nashordo Gibbs (39th and 64th) had a brace, while Javaun Mills (72nd), Dujoni Thompson (78th), and substitutes Jamone Howell (87th) and Keshaun-Lee Chin (90th) got the others in the lopsided affair that pleased head coach Davion Ferguson.
“You always want to start with a win because nine goals in any game is a big win, and that was what we wanted to do. The performance, in some parts, I think, was good, but we want to continue to improve and try as best as possible to focus on ourselves and not really look outside, as the external is out of our control,” Ferguson said.
“The aim is to give of our best ever year, so once we give our best, wherever that takes us, we will be satisfied. Our players have matured well, and so I think they will have a really good season,” he added.
Meanwhile, Matthew Spence (10th) and Payton Larmond (61st) did the damage for St George’s College in their comfortable win over neighbours Holy Trinity at Winchester Park.
Assistant coach Marcel Gayle is also anticipating more improvements from his North Street-based team as the season progresses.
“Kudos to the guys; I thought they played well, but I thought we could have been a little more assertive in the final third. We created a lot of opportunities but we needed to be a bit more patient. Nevertheless, the objective was met with three points and the clean sheet,” said Gayle.
Tuesday’s results
Hydel 9, Ardenne 0
Clan Carthy 0, Eltham 5
Ascot 1, Bridgeport 0
St George’s College 2, Holy Trinity 0
Norman Manley 0, St Catherine 3 (St Catherine awarded win as Norman Manley was deemed to have forfeited the game as a result of an unprepared pitch)
Wednesday’s fixtures
Kingston Technical vs Camperdown
Calabar vs Haile Selassie
Vauxhall vs STATHS
*All games are scheduled for 3:30pm
-
Kane not setting limits on England achievements after milestone appearance
Harry Kane insisted the sky is the limit for what he can achieve with England after marking his 100th Three Lions appearance with two goals against Finland.
Kane, who became the 10th England centurion on Tuesday, marked the milestone with a second-half brace after seeing a header ruled out for offside before the break.
The Bayern Munich striker has been directly involved in 85 goals (68 goals and 17 assists) since his England debut in March 2015.
He also netted his 26th and 27th goals at Wembley, the most that any Three Lions player has managed at the iconic venue.
Kane also became the third England player to score on his 100th appearance, after Wayne Rooney (2014) and Bobby Charlton (1970).
Having taken inspiration from Cristiano Ronaldo's 900th career goal ahead of kick-off, Kane has no signs of stopping yet as he eyes 100 goals for his country.
"I try never to set limits on what I can achieve," said Kane. "I know playing in this team, I am going to get chances and, if I get chances, I feel like I can score many goals.
"I am going to keep going as long as I can and who knows what we can achieve? Some of the top players in the world have scored more than I have, so there are targets there to try and achieve."
Kane's double also led England to consecutive victories in the Nations League for the first time since 2018, while helping them maintain their unbeaten record against Finland.
The Three Lions return to Nations League action next month when they welcome Greece to Wembley on October 10, before travelling to Finland three days later.
-
Dom Rep, Bermuda victorious in Group D of League B; Belize, Barbados, St Kitts and Nevis remain perfect in League C
Dominican Republic maintained their positive start to the Concacaf Nations League campaign, while Bermuda is now on the board as both registered victories in the League B, Group D double-header at the ABFA Technical Center in Piggotts, Antigua and Barbuda on Tuesday.
The Dominican Republic defeated Dominica 2-0 in a top-of-the-table clash, and Bermuda clipped hosts Antigua and Barbuda 1-0 to end the September window on a positive note.
With the win, Dominican Republic moved up to six points, three ahead of Bermuda and Dominica, while Antigua and Barbuda will head into the next window without a point.
Dominican Republic vs. Dominica
Having won their opening encounters, this contest was expected to be a closely contested affair, but it was the Dominican Republic who proved the better team on the day.
Ronaldo Vasquez broke the deadlock with a cheeky finish in the 11th minute.
Dorny Romero doubled the lead with 25th-minute strike that secured the points for Dominican Republic to boost their promotion hopes.