It was a save that got better and better with every viewing. Well, unless you’re a Rangers supporter of course.
Amad Diallo is haring down on goal, a dramatic late winner in his sights. But Benjamin Siegrist was having none of it.
The Dundee United shot-stopper was in ‘Thou Shalt Not Pass’ mode at Tannadice on Sunday afternoon and, as he deflected what looked like a certain goal against the post and away from danger, it felt for all the world like a man aceing his audition ahead of a potential summer move to the Premiership champions.
Whoever steps into Allan McGregor’s shoes at Rangers will have big boots to fill.
But, as Dundee United dragged Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side back down to earth with an almighty bump just three days after that iconic 4-2 victory away at Borussia Dortmund, it was Siegrist who took centre stage.
That close-range stop to deny Diallo might have been the highlight moment of Siegrist’s faultless second-half display. But it was far from his only eye-catching save of the afternoon.
He reacted at the speed of sound to tip away a glancing Joe Aribo header – almost a carbon-copy of the assist for Alfredo Morelos’ far-post tap-in at the Signal Iduna Park on Thursday night.
Then there was the brilliant, body-on-the-line block to deny Morelos himself. Turning aside what looked a guaranteed tap-in with his trailing leg.
Will Rangers sign Benjamin Siegrist on a free?
Dundee United director Tony Asghar admitted, ahead of the champions’ trip to Tannadice, that he would ‘love’ Siegrist to sign a new contract. His current deal expires at the end of the season.
So the in a long line of point-saving performances must have felt somewhat bittersweet.
A display to savour, yes. But a reminder as to what Dundee United will be missing when Siegrist departs in July. He won’t be an easy man to replace.
“I thought the guys in defence were really resolute today,” head coach Tam Courts tells BT.
“Our goalkeeper was tremendous. We knew we might need to rely on his shot stopping and cross taking. And that was very evident today.”
Allan McGregor’s replacement?
Allan McGregor, like Siegrist, will be a free-agent come the summer.
He also turned 40 in January. This feels like the right time to move on from a man who, while still capable of rolling back the years and producing physics-defying reflexes, is starting to show clear signs of ageing.
Siegrist, at 29, is a decade McGregor’s junior.
And after snatching two vital points from Rangers’ grasp, Van Bronckhorst’s side clattering into another hurdle as Celtic streak towards the finish line, Siegrist may soon be rewarded with an opportunity to strut his stuff on a much grander stage.
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