Philippe Clement claims his Rangers side demonstrated their growing team ethic in coming from behind to beat Dundee 3-1 at Ibrox after playing the second half with 10 men.
Striker Amadou Bakayoko scored after just five minutes but the Light Blues responded with a strike from forward Cyriel Dessers, a penalty from skipper James Tavernier after a VAR intervention, and a header from attacker Abdallah Sima.
Gers midfielder Jose Cifuentes was sent off after another VAR prompt saw a yellow card for a foul on Bakayoko upgraded to red, a decision which will cost him his place in the Viaplay Cup final against Aberdeen next week.
The Belgian was pleased with the way his side dealt with the second half and said: “The team showed that they are a team.
“I see this dressing room growing week by week in that way. That is crucial. I know you need a really strong dressing room where everybody fights for one another, where everybody is available for the team.
“Everyone sees in the last few weeks this team sticking together in every sense. Players coming in, playing out of position and doing a job for the team.
“We played to create in the second half, not just sitting it out. If you look back, we had the best chances in the second half.
“You can also see the physical levels of the players growing. We need to get more players fit and we need to continue to work but if the mentality stays like this then we will take more points.”
On the red card incident, Clement said: “I’ve not seen the images back. Jose told me he lost the ball and wanted to win it back.
“He wanted to block the ball but the other guy is a split second faster and tackles through the ball, there’s contact.
“Jose tries to avoid it, he didn’t go through it, so I want to see things back to have a clear and good opinion so we can make an assessment in the next few days (on a possible appeal).”
Tony Docherty was far from impressed at the way the VAR check worked against his team for the penalty.
The Dundee boss said: “I’m hugely disappointed with the decision to give the penalty kick and VAR’s involvement in it.
“The image presented to Kevin Clancy favours the penalty being given but the reality is there is bustling in the box, Sima has hold of Aaron Donnelly’s shirt and Kevin Clancy deemed that to be OK.
“He then gets shown an image in a real pivotal moment of the game at 1-1.
“You need things to go for you and that one went against us.
“I’m really disappointed because we started the game really well, everything I was looking for.
“Lyall Cameron almost scores and then we score from the corner so a good start.
“Rangers come back into it with an unforced error by us then such a big decision goes against us.
“I had a conversation with Kevin Clancy and I thought he had a really good game.
“It’s difficult because we are re-refereeing games. Kevin Clancy’s positioning is good and it’s not a clear and obvious error.
“My problem with it is the image he gets shown. If I see that image I’d give a penalty kick but you need to take it into context.”
Arnett Gardens join forces with Dream Entertainment to enhance club's brand
Arnett Gardens FC and Dream Entertainment have announced a groundbreaking partnership that will see the Dream Team providing strategic and managerial guidance to the club for the upcoming Jamaica Premier League (JPL) campaign and beyond.
Member of Parliament and chairman of Arnett Gardens, Mark Golding, explained that the partnership is aimed at providing financial stability and a more sustainable future for the club. This as the Dream Team’s expertise is expected to boost the brand and image of the South St Andrew-based club.
“I was seeking a commercial partner to guide strategy and manage the club forward to new revenue and achieve financial sustainability. Arnett has been a leading brand in football, a much-loved and much-supported club not just in the community where it is based, but the wider Jamaica and indeed the diaspora and beyond,” Golding said during a press conference on Monday.
“We were very happy to have met some like-minded business people at Dream Entertainment who have established themselves in the field of entertainment as innovators,” he added.
Like Golding, Scott Dunn, group managing director of Dream Entertainment, pointed out that the partnership will be mutually beneficial, as it provides a greater platform for Arnett to reap success on and off the field of play, as well as an avenue for the Dream Team to expand their influence.
“Football is entertainment, and we believe we can improve upon that entertainment product. The entertainment value of coming to an Arnett Gardens football match is going to be bigger and better.
“Anything I do, I am all in, and my team is definitely the same way. This is not something that is periphery or a side thing for Dream Entertainment, this is now a primary part of our business,” Dunn shared.
He continued: “Arnett Gardens is an iconic community. From Junior Reid singing about Jungle to a million artists thereafter, it is a big community and the surrounding communities as well. Trench Town, in terms of tourism, is a bigger brand than Kingston.
“For the fans in the community, this is something that is going to build the community. For the fans internationally and those who are already with Arnett, this is going to rebuild that excitement and bring in a whole host of new fans.”
Jonathan Grant open Manning Cup season with 9-0 hammering of Gaynstead in Zone B; KC held to 2-2 draw by Penwood in Zone C
Jonathan Grant High took the early lead in Zone B of the 2024 ISSA Manning Cup thanks to a 9-0 hammering of Gaynstead High at the Papine High School field on Monday.
The 1999 Walker Cup champions lead defending Manning Cup title holders Mona High by two goals on goal difference after the first round of matches in Zone B.
In the other Zone B game on Monday, three-time Manning Cup champions Charlie Smith defeated Tarrant High 4-0 at Jacisera Park.
In Zone C, 16-time winners Kingston College had a disappointing start to their season with a 2-2 draw against Penwood High at Maverley Field.
Campion College took the early lead in Zone C thanks to a 4-0 win over Cumberland High at Cumberland while Jose Marti scored a big win of their own, 5-2 over Meadowbrook at Meadowbrook, to slot in at second on goal difference.
Tivoli Gardens High took the early lead in Zone D thanks to a 4-1 win over Denham Town High at Tivoli.
10-time Manning Cup winners Wolmer’s Boys also opened their season with a win, 3-1 over St. Jago High at St. Jago.
St. Mary’s College and Edith Dalton James High played out a 1-1 draw in the day’s other Zone D encounter.
Indonesia 0-0 Australia: Wasteful Socceroos play out stalemate
Australia's wastefulness in front of goal cost them in World Cup qualifying once more as they drew 0-0 with Indonesia on Tuesday.
Nestory Irankunda came closest for the Socceroos, hitting the woodwork, as Graham Arnold's side failed to pick up their first win in the third round of the 2026 AFC World Cup qualifiers.
Indonesia had an early flurry of chances, with Sandy Walsh and Rafael Struick both testing Mat Ryan inside the opening 17 seconds.
Australia dominated after that though, with Harry Souttar seeing a couple of efforts saved in quick succession before Irankunda struck the woodwork from range just after the half-hour mark.
The visitors pushed for an opening in the second half but struggled to create many chances of note as Craig Goodwin had Australia's only shot on target after the break.
Witan Sulaeman almost snatched it at the end, but missed a glorious chance in the dying seconds, poking a close-range shot wide of the near post under no pressure.
Data Debrief: Socceroos fire another blank
Australia suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Bahrain in their last match, with a Souttar own goal compounding their misery that day.
And their lack of a clinical edge cost them once more against Indonesia, as they had 19 shots (five on target); they last recorded more without scoring against the United Arab Emirates in January 2019 in the Asian Cup (22).
Meanwhile, Indonesia's defence stayed resolute, but they offered little in terms of attacking threat, managing only two shots on target, which both came within a second of each other.
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