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Algeria World Cup defender MADJID BOUGHERRA of Glasgow Rangers attempts to knock the ball away from Sporting Lisbon’s Chile World Cup midfielder MATIAS FERNANDEZ (14), scorer of the equalizing goal at Ibrox in Scotland last week, during the second leg of the UEFA Europa League elimination tie at the Estadio Jose Alvalarde in the capital city of Portugal. (Armando Franca/AP)
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UEFA Europa League
Round of 32
2/24/2011
2 – Sporting Lisbon (POR) —————- Mendes 42′, Djalo 83′
2 – Glasgow Rangers (SCT) ————— Diouf 19′, Edu 90+2′
A late goal well into injury time mortally wounded the advancement ambitions of the hosts as visiting Scottish club GLASGOW RANGERS drew 2-2 with Portuguese side SPORTING LISBON in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League knockout round of 32 engagement….on the strength of away goals, it is Rangers who will progress to the next stage of the tournament.
Senegal international striker EL HADJI DIOUF, the two-time African Footballer of the Year recently arrived on loan from English Premier League outfit Blackburn Rovers, scored his first career goal for Rangers in the 19th minute by heading the long cross of Northern Ireland midfielder STEVEN DAVIS down and past Sporting Lisbon goalkeeper RUI PATRICIO.
Portugal World Cup midfielder PEDRO MENDES, who made exactly 50 appearances and notched four goals for Rangers in all competitions before being sold to Sporting Lisbon for 1.28 million Euros thirteen months ago, pulled Leoes level with a curling shot from just beyond the penalty arc after Rangers had failed to clear a ball properly three minutes before the halftime whistle.
Portugal international striker YANNICK DJALO looked to have settled the issue in Sporting Lisbon’s favor after arriving at the far post to head home the cross of Portugal international fullback JOAO PEREIRA in the 83rd minute.
But Rangers refused to quit and were rewarded when Northern Ireland international striker DAVID HEALY, sent on to replace Diouf, delivered a low cross for Untied States World Cup midfielder MAURICE EDU to stab home in the second minute of injury time.
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Sporting Lisbon striker YANNICK DJALO (20), the 24-year-old youth team product who earned his first cap for Portugal this past fall, leaps over the would-be slide tackle of Rangers’ Algeria World Cup defender MADJID BOUGHERRA (24) at the Estadio Jose Alvalarde in the Portuguese capital city. (Rafael Marchante/Reuters)
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SPORTING LISBON : Patricio – Pereira, Torsiglieri, Polga, Evaldo – Mendes (Saleiro 81′) – Fernandez (Coelho 90+1′), Zapater, Abel – Postiga (Santos 87′), Djalo
GLASGOW RANGERS : McGregor – Bartley, Bougherra, Weir (Lafferty 70′), Papac, Foster – Fleck (Weiss 71′), Whittaker, Edu, Davis – Diouf (Healy 82′)
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(Francisco Seco/AP)
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(Armando Franca/AP)
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(Francisco Seco/AP)
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(Keith Campbell/thescottishsun.co.uk)
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(Armando Franca/AP)
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(Rafael Marchante/Reuters)
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(Armando Franca/AP)
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MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
