Rangers and Partick Thistle played out an absolutely bonkers Scottish Cup fifth round tie yesterday, and it featured one of the strangest sequences on a football pitch we can remember.
It all kicked off around the 70th minute with the game all-square on one goal each, when American Malik Tillman of Rangers was on the receiving end of a nasty stamp. Tillman received lengthy treatment and was apparently unaware that his team had played the ball out so he could receive treatment. As the game resumed, Partick Thistle were set to hoof the ball back to Rangers, except Tillman had other ideas.
He stole the ball, and then beat the goalkeeper before being accosted by the Partick Thistle defense. Queue bedlam.
Stop what you're doing right now and watch this! 🤯
Malik Tillman gives Rangers the lead in controversial circumstances which infuriates the visitors 😠
Michael Beale then steps in and orders his side to allow Partick Thistle to score 👏🔵#ScottishCup | @ScottishCup pic.twitter.com/iUOtLalNGO— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) February 12, 2023
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Ructions broke out and amid the chaos, Rangers manager Michael Beale decided concede an uncontested goal.
As Scott Tiffoney dribbled down the pitch, he was greeted by thunderous boos from the Rangers fans and a less than accommodating Allan McGregor in goals.
In the end, Rangers would win 3-2 thanks to a goal from James Sands in the 86th minute.
After the match, Beale said it was important that his side won with 'high standards' and explained how the situation unfolded.
He [Tillman] is completely unaware of the situation, of what has happened. I had to speak to my bench to make sure that is what they saw as well. Malik came over and I spoke to him and he confirmed it. So it [allowing Thistle to level] was the right thing to do. I will tell you why it was the right thing to do. Malik Tillman is a fantastic young player and I don’t want that hanging around his head.
“He has never cheated anyone in his life and as a football club we have high standards. We don’t need to do that to beat Partick Thistle at home. It is not an easy thing to ask footballers to do because they haven’t seen it but it was the right thing to do.
Interestingly, his own support base seemed absolutely livid with this laudable display of sportsmanship. The boos at Ibrox were matcedh by a veritable blizzard of F-bombs by Rangers supporters on Twitter.
Fuck off Beale 🤣 pic.twitter.com/jl2sYuLUcR
— AL_Mc (@TheBhoy_88) February 12, 2023
I don’t think Beale fully grasps the ruthlessness up here in Scotland
No other club would allow us to go up the park and equalise if we were in that situation
Scottish football hates us , and we hate them
Give nothing, expect nothing
🔴⚪️🔵— 𝙂𝙋 ➐➋ (@GP_1872) February 12, 2023
We go through but my word. He touched the ball 3 times before Tilman nipped in. If you can’t clear the ball from there, after 4 touches including the throw, that’s on you. Complaints that we are soft then give them a goal for that? Beale got that one wrong for me pic.twitter.com/a0JRKWBvny
— Clarkie (@Clarkie8) February 12, 2023
Strangely, Partick Thistle sacked manager Ian McCall in the hours after the game, even though the club nearly secured a famous victory at Ibrox.
It was reminiscent of the Leeds-Aston Villa game from the 2018-19 Championship season where Marcelo Bielsa opted to allow Villa to score an uncontested goal after Leeds scored when Villa expected them to put the ball out of play. Interestingly, both took place around that 70th minute mark.
