‘Something happened at least’ - Dessers fumes at referee after being denied a penalty against Bilbao

Rangers lost 2-0 to Athletic Bilbao on Thursday night, eliminating them from the UEFA Europa League competition.

In the game, Dessers had a penalty shout, which the referee, Irfan Peljto, failed to give after Bilbao’s Dani Vivian pulled his shirt inside the box.

The decision by UEFA officials that there was no foul, despite a VAR check, caused anger among pundits and former players.

Dessers spoke to TNT Sports via Daily Record after the match and revealed the aftermath of the controversial moment.

He said, "The ball gets deflected into the box and I wanted to make a run for it as I think I can get to it. Then my shirt gets pulled and even if there’s doubt, just look at the shirt.

"If there’s a tear like this, something happened at least. You can’t rip a shirt in the box. It’s not possible in the middle of the pitch, never mind the box. So that was a game changer.

"I spoke to the defender and, of course, he admitted it was a penalty. Everyone could see what happened."

The officiating at San Mamés was criticised by former Rangers star Ally McCoist, who pointed out that a top Premier League refereeing official was present at the game.

The debate over the consistency of VAR decisions in European competition has been reignited by the controversy.