By Alan Pattullo

Copyright scotsman

Has the Rangers revival started? This suggested it hadn’t, though there were mitigating factors. Not that they were accepted by an irate home support, who even cheered when a Genk player almost knocked Russell Martin off his white-soled trainers at one point in the second half. Chants urging the manager to get to you-know-where resumed after the final whistle. Despite signs of life at the weekend against Hibs as well as a few glimpses here when Rangers had the full complement of players on the pitch, and even when they didn’t, Martin’s hopes of taking anything from this opening group game of the Europa League were dashed by a ruinous spell just before half time. It might have been worse, too. Former Celtic striker Hyeongyu Oh let Rangers off the hook when his penalty was saved by Jack Butland moments before the interval. It proved to be only a stay of execution, perhaps predictably given the way things are going this season for the Ibrox side, who had Mohamed Diomande sent off for a senseless challenge on Zakaria El Ouahdi after 42 minutes. The ten men were breached just ten minutes into the second half. Again, predictably, it had to be the former Parkhead star who scored with perhaps the hardest chance of his otherwise profligate night. Not for the first time this season, the Rangers defence was split open by a reasonably straightforward long-distance pass. Oh scampered onto Jarne Steuckers’ ball through and kept his composure to finish into the corner beyond Butland. A second goal from much closer range was later chopped off for offside on an eventful return to Glasgow for the South Korean. For the first time in quite a while, it initially felt as if Martin wasn’t the focus at the expense of almost everything else. One lone banner bearing his image with a red line through it did survive from the pre-match protests against Hibs. It was hoisted in the area where the Union Bears congregate. Otherwise, it seemed as if some form of healing had occurred following the booking of a last four place in the Premier Sports Cup although two large sections of empty seats in the Broomloan Stand perhaps told its own story – as did the booing at half time and again at full time. For once, however, it was not all aimed at Martin. Referee Matej Jug joined the manager in the stocks. He incurred the home crowd’s displeasure on three significant occasions in the opening 45 minutes. First of all he ruled that a possible penalty to Rangers – he had been alerted by the VAR team – was in fact a foul to the visitors after James Tavernier was adjudged to have pushed Joris Kayembe in the run-up to the defender’s handball. The game restarted with a free kick to Genk, which didn’t go down well. That was bad enough. What happened eight minutes later can be identified as the defining moment of the match. Although the referee got it in the neck, Diomande gave him every excuse to brandish a red card, which the Slovenian did, after the midfielder’s studs up late challenge on El Ouahdi. Criminally, it happened in the middle of the park. It was not a last-ditch, goal-saving tackle, just a reckless one. Who needs enemies when you have players doing this while they are trying – or so they keep insisting – to keep you in a job? Martin’s troubles intensified in added on time at the end of the first half. Or at least they looked to be on the verge of doing so after another VAR check saw Jug award the penalty this time following Tavernier’s trip on Yaimar Medina. Oh, who had missed at least two other good chances to score, looked set to rub salt in Rangers’ wounds. Although his effort was hit powerfully enough, Butland leapt to his right to pull off a world-class save and his defenders mopped up when the rebound threatened to prove dangerous. The goalkeeper savoured his moment with the fans behind him, rightly so. Such moments when Ibrox seems united in a common cause have proved rare indeed this season. Some muttering had already greeted the news that Bojan Miovski had been dropped following his first goal for the club at the weekend. The lone striker’s spot went to Youssef Chermiti, who made his full debut. If you can’t start an £9 million-plus striker in a big European game, then when are you going to play him? His first touch was winning an aerial challenge following Butland’s clearance up the pitch. His second saw him put the ball out of play when trying to execute a simple pass. The latter moment was more in keeping with the rest of his night. He was replaced by Miovski with ten minutes left. It was a tale of two No 9s, though not with the outcome Rangers wished. It had not escaped most people’s attention that lining up in attack for the visitors was Oh, who not so long ago wore the hoops of Celtic and put together a fairly decent scoring record while doing so. He produced an eye-catching performance here. He ought to have put his side ahead but blazed over the bar when through on goal and with many questioning whether he was in fact offside (he wasn’t). Oh then failed to connect with a cross at the near post. A night to forget looked to have been confirmed by the penalty failure but the mark of a good striker is still showing for the ball, still scrapping. Oh got his reward after 55 minutes and was happy to accept a yellow card after whipping off his shirt to make sure everyone registered who’d scored. Nobody needed the reminder. Rangers fans didn’t even care. They have far bigger problems.