B McPhail 7, pen 43, 76
Simpson 71
Sindelar 83
Match Information
Attendance: 50000
Referee: R.G. Benzie (Irvine)
Matchday: Wednesday
Match Trivia
An amazing scene was provided during the meeting of the Austrians and Rangers at Ibrox Park last night, a scene that had a devastating effect on the game and reduced the contest from an exhilarating affair in the first half to a dowdy, uninteresting spectate in the second. It was a most regrettable happening and not one man or woman in the 50,000 but deplored it. Just a few minutes of the second half had gone when Smith, with actual play some yards from him, collapsed to the turf. I was following the flight of the ball and did not see what happened, but he must have been the victim of some sly attention. He required Arthur Dixons attendance, and on play resuming he was immediately given possession of the ball. He was tackled by Andritz, who fell at the feet of the centre writhing in agony. Smiths bot had come in contact with him. Followed a hectic two minutes. Players gesticulated excitedly to one another, and Sesta and Mock rushed to the referee illustrating by lifting their feet what they alleged had taken place. The referee had a busy time separating groups of players who got into argument. Protests and counter-protests, and none, I suppose, understood, owing to the language difficulty. For some minutes after tempers were on edge. Andritz was carried off and resumed ten minutes later only to play outside left. What a difference in the Austrian team following the injuring of their back. In the first half they were a cohesive team working in unison one with the other and providing us with some really beautifully conceived and skilfully executed moves. It is on their showing in that period that I judge them, for upset in the second portion they were just so many haphazard units. They are not so fast as previous Continental visitors I have seen, but they do not depend so much on draughtsboard football. They have the variety of moves to meet the occasion. They were best at short passing, but a bit out when trying to find a mate from a distance. Zihrer, like his countrymen who have been here before, is a graceful goalkeeper, and brought off some brilliant saves. Sesta was the wee big man of the defence a bundle of everlasting energy. The half-back line was solid without flash. Sindelar, a great centre-forward, and feet that cane do most things with a ball, from a gentle flick to a powerful shot, and he had a fine understanding with Jerusalem, his co-star of the attack. These two, also, could bring, with their facile touched, their mates into the scheme of things, and I enjoyed the numerous short-passing runs of the left-wing and the manner in which they could run into position. Rangers were a good team. Dawson proved himself Scotlands best keeper, and Cheyne is a much better back than he was last season. Gray was the usual steady Dougie. Simpson played most of the game at outside right with Main inside, McKillop at centre-half and Venters mixing half-back play with his forward stuff. And right well he did it. McPhail was a strong forceful inside forward and brought out the best in Kinnear. Smith was cumbersome and did the wrong thing at times. In six minutes, Rangers scored. Venters smashed a hard ball across the field towards Kinnear, Andritz jumped in the air, got it with his head, and the ball went behind. Smith rose to Kinnears kick, but missed it, and McPhail, throwing himself at the ball, got there before Zohrer to head through a splendid goal. Some of the best play in the game came after twenty minutes, when Simpson was off injured. The Austrians here provided clever stuff, and a deceptive swerve by Sindelar put him through. He shot on the run, but over the bar. More Austrian pressure, a thrilling shot by Jerusalem, and a brilliant save by Dawson, and then another snorter by the inside left that flashed past the upright. Simpson came back, but in preventing what looked like a certain score by Sindelar, he fell awkwardly and went to outside right. The Austrians were very much in the game now. After Dawson had stopped a hard drive from Mack, Rangers attack came back into the picture, and Zohrer had to clear twice from Smith, which Simpson was just a fraction late in meeting a cross from Kinnear, Sesta getting the ball away for a corner. The skill of Brown, the graceful clutching of Zohrer and the subtleties of Sindelar were the big feature of the closing minutes of the half. Two minutes from half-time a penalty was granted to Rangers for Smith being elbowed, and McPhail scored. The thrill of the game came when Mock shot and the ball was blocked and rebounded to Vierti, who crashed it in first time for Dawson to clutch marvellously just under the bar at his right-hand post. Next, the scene. Rangers made the quicker recovery, and we had some precise work on the left wing. Andritz returned after six minutes absence, to play at outside-left. Rangers were now on top, and the Austrians seemed to have lost a lot of their snap and cohesion. It came as no surprise when rangers in the twenty-sixth minute, against a weakened defence, scored. Kinnear on the run slipped over a good ball that Smith jumped over and allowed to travel to the unmarked Simpson, who had the easiest of tasks to net. Two minutes later McPhail, heavily tackled and half drowned in a sea of opponents, forced his way through to score from six yards range. Ten minutes from time, Sindelar scored for Austria.
