Ruthless Brugge Stun Rangers in Champions League Play-off
Rangers 1 – 3 Club Brugge Danilo (50′) Vermant (3′) Spileers (7′) Mechele (20′) A ruthless first-half display saw Club Brugge take a huge step towards back-to-back Champions League Qualification against Rangers. Russell Martin made seven changes from Saturday’s 4-2 League Cup victory over Alloa Athletic, including a debut for Brentford loanee Jayden Meghoma. But it was the visitors who enjoyed a dream start after just three minutes as a hopeful forward ball was misjudged by Nasser Djiga, allowing Romeo Vermant to latch on and burst clean through. Bearing down on Jack Butland, he delivered a clever, chipped finish that silenced the home crowd at Ibrox. The lead was doubled shortly after when Christos Tzolis delivered a floated corner for the unmarked Jorne Spileers. The Belgian defender had the freedom of Ibrox to side-foot past Butland. The nightmare for Russell Martin’s side continued after losing a third goal in the 20th minute. Brandon Mechele stepped onto a loose ball on the edge of the box and fired a low, rasping strike past Butland. The disastrous opening period saw some home fans opting for an early exit. Chances for Rangers were few and far between throughout the first half. Joe Rothwell’s free-kick kissed the post, and a dragged shot from Djeidi Gassama was the closest the hosts came to putting a dent in the away side’s lead. Carlos Forbs almost added a fourth close to halftime, but his strike from the edge of the box was tipped wide by a strong Butland hand. The half time whistle brought a chorus of boos, marking an extraordinary first half. The Belgian giants had showcased a ruthless attacking display, leaving the home side with a mountain to climb. Rangers reacted well after the break scoring five minutes into the second half. Gassama and Meghoma linked well on the left, and the latter whipped a dangerous low cross into the path of Danilo, who made no mistake with a close-range finish. Having been the sole bright spot in a dismal first half, Gassama continued to be a constant threat for the home side. He carved out another opportunity for himself, firing a right-footed strike from the edge of the box that whistled just past Simon Mignolet’s post. Despite Rangers’ improved performance, Brugge still looked dangerous on the counter. Aleksandar Stankovic found too much space in a forward area, and only a last-ditch challenge from John Souttar prevented Nicolo Tresoldi from getting an easy tap-in. Shortly after, Butland did well to smother another jabbed strike from Tresoldi. The home side thought they had a second goal on the 80th minute when Gassama poked home from close range. However, the celebrations were cut short as the goal was disallowed, with the referee ruling that Mignolet had full control of the ball prior to the winger’s touch, ending a miserable night in Govan for Martin’s men. Rangers: Butland, Aarons, Souttar, Djiga, Meghoma (Tavernier 70’), Diomande (Aasgaard 61’), Raskin, Rothwell (Cameron 86’) Antman (Moore 70’) Gassama, Danilo (Igamane 61’) Bookings: Souttar 74’ Aarons 75’ Aasgaard 90+2’ Club Brugge: Mignolet, Sabbe (Meijer 73’) Spileers, Mechele, Seys, Onyedika (Diakhon 89’) Forbs (Vetlesen 73’) Tzolis, Stankovic (Reis 85’) Vanaken, Vermant (Tresoldi 46’) Bookings: Sabbe 52’
SWPL Round-Up: Hibs start title defence with perfect start
Two goals from Rosie Livingston got SWPL title holders Hibernian off to the best possible start as they beat Aberdeen 5-1 on the opening day. Grant Scott’s side made their mark and were three up by the break thorugh Kathleen McGovern to put them in control. Aberdeen were given something to cheer about when Hibs captain Siobhan Hunter turned the ball into her own net, but it didn’t derail the champions any. In fact, McGovern’s second of the game a couple of minutes later restored their three-goal lead, with Jessica Broadrick also scoring into her own net in the dying embers to make it a commanding victory for Hibs. The team Hibs beat to take the title last season, Glasgow City, also had the perfect start to their new campaign as they blitzed Motherwell with three goals in ten minutes for a 3-0 home win. Nicole Kozlova got City’s first after 12 minutes with a tidy finish from the left-hand-side of the box. Katie Lockwood made it 2-0, latching on to a Natalia Wrobel cross before Kozlova added a third as she powered her shot into the net from Lockwood’s ball as Leanne Ross enjoyed a great first win of the campaign. Rangers also got off to a terrific start to life under new coach Leanne Crichton as they thrashed Montrose 6-1, who were reduced to 10 players early in the first half. Olivia Chomczuk opened the scoring for Montrose after only six minutes before team-mate Cassie Cowper was given her marching orders. Rangers soon came back with two Katie Wilkinson goals – one a penalty – to give them a half time lead. Mia McAulay, Brogan Hay and Kathy Hill all netted in the second half, as did Wilkinson, who completed a hat-trick to secure three points for Rangers and their new boss. There was also an opening day victory for Celtic, who saw out a 2-1 away win over Hearts. Morgan Cross put Celtic in front after 21 minutes with Natalie Ross adding a second with a clever dink over the Hearts keeper. Georgia Timms pulled one back for Eva Olid’s side in injury time with a penalty, but it was nothing more than a consolation. It was a bit more dramatic for Partick Thistle as Erin Rennie’s stoppage time finish clinched the points for the Jags. Jo Love opened the scoring with a great finish at the end of the first half, but was cancelled out as Eryn Brown scored for Accies until Rennie’s big moment at the end. RESULTS: Glasgow City 3 Motherwell 0 Hamilton Accies 1 Partick Thistle 2 Hearts 1 Celtic 2 Hibernian 5 Aberdeen 1 Montrose 1 Rangers 5
