Late Hemdani strike denies Osasuna

CA Osasuna were left to rue a host of missed chances after Brahim Hemdani's dramatic late equaliser earned Rangers FC a 1-1 draw at Ibrox on Thursday.

Klos saves
Raúl García gave the Spanish outfit a deserved lead on 17 minutes and only a string of fine saves from goalkeeper Stefan Klos prevented them from winning handsomely. Rangers were far from their best but they had the final say, as Hemdani picked up a loose ball 25 metres from goal and curled in a sumptuous right-footed shot with virtually the last kick of the game.

Deft header
Osasuna had dominated possession early on as they strove to take advantage of some hesitant Rangers play. Defender Javier Cuéllar nodded a free-kick straight at Klos on eight minutes before Osasuna struck, Raúl García glancing Juanlu's pinpoint cross inside the far post with a deft header.

Ferguson suspended
An abject first-half performance from the home team was confounded when captain Barry Ferguson picked up a yellow card that keeps him out of the return. Rangers manager Walter Smith sent Nacho Novo on at the break, and the Spanish forward gave the Scottish side more cutting edge from his position on the left wing. Novo's teasing centre almost resulted in an own goal on 63 minutes, Cuéllar's lunging interception flying narrowly over, and from the ensuing corner Ricardo López produced a sharp stop from Kevin Thompson.

Quicker tempo
Rangers were playing at a quicker tempo but remained vulnerable to Osasuna counterattacks. Indeed, Klos had already made one excellent fingertip save to deny Iñaki Muñoz Oroz when Pierre Webó broke free and cut the ball back to Juanlu who sliced wide. Klos showed his quality again on 76 minutes to keep out Muñoz Oroz, and the German's stout resistance took on added significance when Hemdani struck to boost Rangers' chances ahead of the second leg in Pamplona on 14 March.