Champions League Archives - Page 3 of 4

Arteta Praises “Outstanding” Simeone as Champions League Meeting Looms

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal host Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid in the Champions League this week, and the Gunners boss believes his opposite number’s “character and willingness would take him anywhere” as he approaches 14 years in charge of the Spanish giants. Speaking on Monday before the European tie, Arteta said he “looks up” to Simeone, “I think what he has done since he got to Atletico has been outstanding, not only what he has achieved but the way he has done it, I think the identity that he has created to the club, to the team, the spirit, I think they are very simple and clear to identify, and that is because the manager is very much them.” Arsenal sit at the summit of the Premier League; their one-nil victory over Fulham on Saturday pushed them three points clear of nearest rivals Manchester City. Arteta was pleased with the “initiative” of defender William Saliba, after a photo spread on social media showing the Arsenal defender studying Atletico on the team coach: “Very pleased because I didn’t encourage it, so it came from them, and that’s the most powerful thing, that a game finishes, the job is done, but what is the next challenge?” “We know that it is going to be a really tough, so the earlier we start to think about it and prepare the better, so I love that initiative from the players, and it tells you how much they want it and how focused they are on what is next.” Simeone is approaching 14 years as Atletico’s head coach, thrashing Frankfurt 5-1 in their last Champions League outing. Arteta was full of praise for the manager’s longevity. “What is for me outstanding is his passion, I think for how long he has been in the game in the same club with the same players” “It is a very tough environment that we live in, and to keep convincing players, you have to be extraordinary well, I don’t know him personally but everything I’ve heard about him is that he is so good at doing that,” “What makes Simeone teams so difficult to play against -” the willingness to win, you can sense that in every single goal in every single yard they play,” “they have had quite a lot of talent throughout the years, that are very specific for their needs and where they want to play, and they are very good at exploiting those opportunities.” Arsenal host Atletico Madrid at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night at 8pm, seeking their third straight win in the Champions League.

October 20, 2025

UEFA Champions League Review: Matchday Two

The UEFA Champions League returned to our screens this week after an absence the week prior. Six Premier League clubs were in action, with some faring a lot better than others. Kairat Almaty, who dumped Celtic out in the qualifiers, hosted European giants Real Madrid in one of the early kick-offs on Tuesday. It would be two defeats from two for the Kazakhstan side, falling to a 5-0 defeat as Kylian Mbappe netted a hat-trick. Atalanta and Club Brugge played out the other early kick off, with the Series A side leaving it late to complete a 2-1 turnaround victory. Three of the English sides competed on Tuesday night. Jose Mourinho returned to Stamford Bridge in his new role as Benfica manager. His side lost 1-0 to the Blues on the night, but the ‘Special One’ received a hero’s welcome. Less can be said about the reception Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez received from his former fans housed in the away corner. Tottenham Hotspur travelled to the Arctic Circle to take on Bodo/Glimt, who they knocked out of last season’s Europa League semi-final. A Jens Hauge double spooked a rocked Spurs side, but goals from skipper Micky Van De Ven and an own goal enforced by Richarlison meant that the North Londoners were able to escape with a point. Liverpool were the third English club in action, faced with the task of overcoming the cauldron which is RAMS Park, home of Galatasaray. The atmosphere ultimately proved too much for the Premier League champions, with an early Victor Osimhen penalty being the difference between the sides. Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid thrashed Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1. Inter Milan defeated Czech side Slavia Prague 3-0 in the same week demolition plans of Inter and AC’s shared stadium San Siro were confirmed. Marseille romped to a 4-0 home win over Ajax, and Bayern Munich defeated a Pafos side featuring David Luiz 5-1 in Cyprus. Three more English clubs took part in the nine Wednesday fixtures. Newcastle United occupied one of the early kick off slots, with a convincing 4-0 away win over USG of Belgium, another side with investment from Hearts shareholder Tony Bloom. Nick Woltemade scored his third since arriving in the summer, before two Anthony Gordon penalties and a Harvey Barnes effort completed the rout. Qarabag beat FC København 2-0 to maintain their 100% record in the other early kick off. Arsenal were the only other English side to play at home this week, as Gabriel Martinelli gave the Gunners the lead before Bukayo Saka clinched a 2-0 win at the death at home to Olympiacos. Manchester City travelled to the Principality of Monaco to take on the Ligue 1 side of the same name, drawing 2-2 after an injury time Eric Dier penalty split the points. Erling Haaland scored two first half goals either side of a Jordan Teze thunderbolt, before Monaco won a penalty late on for a high boot offence. International football returns next week in the form of World Cup qualifiers, so the UEFA Champions League does not come back until October 21st.

October 2, 2025

UEFA Champions League Review: Matchday One

The UEFA Champions League returned this week, with this season being the second instalment of the still new ‘league phase’ format, replacing the group stages last campaign. No Scottish clubs are in action this year, unfortunately, but there was still plenty of British clubs in action across all three nights of football. Arsenal were the first British club to play in the UEFA’s premier competition this season, travelling to San Mames to take on Athletic Club Bilbao, who knocked Rangers out of the Europa League last season at the quarter final stage before faltering in the semis to eventual runners up Manchester United. Arsenal grabbed a 2-0 victory on the road, with substitute Gabriel Martinelli scoring after just being on the park one minute with just less than 20 minutes to go. Fellow sub Leandro Trossard made sure the points went back to North London, scoring his side’s second with three minutes to go. Hearts’ shareholder Tony Bloom’s other pet project Union Saint-Gilloise stormed to an impressive 3-1 win away to Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven. The Belgian side dominated proceeding in their first ever match in the Champions League proper, and Hearts fans will be dreaming that Tony Blooms algorithm can be replicated for the Gorgie side to enjoy some European success of their own. USG host Newcastle United next. Elsewhere on Tuesday, Azerbaijani side Qarabag pulled of a heroic comeback away to Benfica to win 3-2 after being 2-0 down. Manager Bruno Lage was sacked following this, and was replaced by returning icon Jose Mourinho, who had loosely been linked with the Rangers post as pressure continues to mount on Russell Martin. Juventus and Borussia Dortmund played out a potential match of the tournament already, as the giants drew 4-4, with all eight goals coming in the second half, and two from Juventus deep into injury time to steal a point. Former Celtic loanee Timothy Weah gave Marseille the lead at the Bernabeu, but this was cancelled out by two Kylian Mbappe penalties. Former Celtic player Matt O’Riley also starred for the French outfit. And Tottenham Hotspur got off to a winning start against Villarreal, after a gift of an own goal 4 minutes in from goalkeeper Luis Junior. Onto Wednesday’s action now, which seen Chelsea travel to Bayern Munchen and Liverpool host Atletico Madrid. The former slumped to a 3-1 defeat in Bavaria, with former Tottenham striker Harry Kane coming back to haunt Chelsea with a deadly double, after Trevor Chalobah’s own goal gave the German hosts the lead. Cole Palmer brought a goal back for Chelsea after Kane doubled their lead with a penalty, but the English forward killed any hopes of a comeback on the 63rd minute after he capitalised on a Malo Gusto mistake. Liverpool left it late to secure all three points at Anfield in their opening bout with Atletico Madrid. The Reds took an early two goal lead, with Scotland captain Andy Robertson scoring from a deflection to net his second career Champions League goal, before Egyptian winger Mo Salah put Liverpool two goals to the good just six minutes in. Goals from Marcos Llorente in first half injury time and in the 81st minute brought the scoring level, before an added time header from former Celtic centre back Virgil Van Dijk made it a memorable European night at Anfield for the Premier League holders. Pafos drew 0-0 away to Olympiacos on their Champions league debut in a Greek vs Cypriot battle, whilst Bodo Glimt who infamously knocked Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic out of the Conference League in 2022 came from two behind away to Slavia Prague to rescue a 2-2 draw. Last season’s runners up Inter Milan won 2-0 away to Ajax with goals two minutes either side of halftime by Marcus Thuram, and holders PSG kicked off their defence of their crown with a defiant 4-0 home win over Atalanta of the Serie A. Two more English sides competed on Thursday night also. Manchester City took on Napoli and Kevin De Bruyne’s return to the Etihad Stadium after leaving for Italy this summer ended abruptly after he was sacrificed following an early red card to defender Giovanni Di Lorenzo on the 21st minute. Scotland’s Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay featured, but it was the light blues of Manchester who prevailed, thanks to second half goals from Erling Harland and Jeremy Doku. Newcastle United hosted Barcelona in their second Champions League campaign in three seasons, but fell to a 2-1 defeat, thanks to two goals from familiar face Marcus Rashford, who signed for the Spanish giants on loan this summer from Manchester United, including a screamer to make it 2-0, before Anthony Gordon netted a 90th minute consolation goal. Club Brugge won the Phillipe Clement derby, defeating another one of the former Rangers gaffer’s former clubs in Monaco 4-1. Henrik Larsson’s son Jordan scored the opener for FC København in a 2-2 draw against Bayer Leverkusen in a match which also seen former Celtic and Rangers loanees Mohamed Elyounoussi and Malik Tillman appear. Sporting Lisbon dispatched of Kairat Almaty, who defeated Celtic in the playoff qualifier to make the league phase, by 4 goals to 1. And 2022 Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt cruised to a 5-1 victory at home over Turkish Superlig opposition Galatasaray. The Champions League returns on the 30th September, with next week being reserved for the Europa League, where we will see Celtic travel to Crvena Zvezda on Wednesday, and Rangers play Belgian club Genk at Ibrox on Thursday.

September 19, 2025

Club Brugge humiliate Rangers to Champions League playoff defeat

Club Brugge 6 – 0 Rangers Club Brugge win 9-1 on aggregate A rampant Club Brugge side hit Rangers for six in a humiliating performance, relegating the visitors to the Europa League and piling further pressure on Russell Martin. Martin made two changes from Sunday’s draw with St Mirren with Nasser Djida and Danilo replacing Emmanuel Fernandez and Nicolas Raskin and looking to overturn a 3-1 deficit from the first leg at Ibrox eight days ago. But their hopes were shattered within the opening five minutes as Nicolo Tresoldi directed Joaquin Seys cross past Jack Butland. Things went from bad to worse when Max Aarons was sent off minutes later. The fullback pulled Christos Tzolis to the ground after the Greek attacker had raced clear, leaving Felix Zwayer no choice but to reach for his red card. From here, Rangers’ misery continued. The home side doubled their lead just after the half-hour mark as Hans Vanaken’s powerful header from Tzolis’ corner kick put further daylight between the two sides. Then they rounded off the first half in ruthless fashion, scoring three goals in seven minutes, starting with Seys netting the third on 41 minutes, sidefooting his rebounded strike following Kyriani Sabbe’s cross. The same player made it four shortly after, before Aleksandar Stankovic’s headed home Vanaken’s cross in added time. The half time whistle blew on an atrocious first half for the visitors. Martin had already been forced into a change, bringing James Tavernier on following Aaron’s red card, but made three more substitutes at halftime; Mohamed Diomande, Raskin and Finlay Curtis replacing Theo Aasgaard, Joe Rothwell and Djeidi Gassama. Nicky Hayen’s side continued to dominate, and Greek talent Tzolis, who will surely be involved against Scotland during the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, gathered Tresoldi’s audacious flick to roll past Butland. Brugge continued to dominate proceedings but could not add to their lead. Their victory secures passage to the Champions League draw, which takes place tomorrow evening. Rangers must pick themselves up quickly as Celtic visit Ibrox on Sunday. The humiliating result leaves Russell Martin with just three wins in ten competitive games in the Ibrox hot seat. Club Brugge: Mignolet, Seys (Siquet 58′) Mechele, Spileers, Sabbe (Audoor 72′), Onyedika. Stankovic, Tzolis (Nilsson 58′), Vanaken, Forbs (Diakhon 46′), Tresoldi (Furo 68′) Rangers: Butland, Aarons, Souttar, Djiga, Meghoma, Rothwell (Raskin 46′), Cameron, Aasgaard (Diomandé 46′), Antman (Tavernier 12′) Danilo (Barron 59′), Gassama (Curtis 46′)

August 27, 2025

Celtic out of Champions League on penalties after spirited Almaty display

Kairat Almaty (0) 0 – 0 (0) Celtic Kairat Almaty win 3-2 on penalties Temirlan Anarbekov saved two penalties as Kairat Almaty beat Celtic to progress to the Champions League, relegating the Scottish Champions to the Europa League. Celtic made two changes from the first leg six days ago. Anthony Ralston replaced the injured Alistair Johnston, with Adam Idah dropping to the bench for Yang Hyun-Jun. The home side frustrated Celtic for much of the opening leg, and this continued for the first half of the second leg although James Forrest had the game’s first big chance in the 22nd minute as the winger met Reo Hatate’s cross but headed straight at Anarbekov. Kairat’s high press was suffocating Celtic; there was no room for the likes of Benjamin Nygren, Callum McGregor, and Hatate to dominate, but there were positive signs down the left-hand side as Kieran Tierney and Yang had both picked up attacking areas, but lacked the final pass. Almaty were awarded an indirect free kick after Kasper Schmeichel handled Callum McGregor’s looping back pass. A wall of Celtic players held firm to deflect Jorginho’s strike, but it was a warning for Brendan Rodgers’ side. The home side continued to grow in confidence as Valery Gromyko surged forward soon after, but Cameron Carter-Vickers blocked his shot. As the game entered its final 15 minutes, neither team looked likely to open the scoring. Substitutes Adam Idah and Arne Engels linked well, but Engels blazed over from 25 yards. Then Celtic had a golden chance to win the game when Daizen Maeda was released onto Anarbekov in goal. The Japanese striker raced clear of the Kairat defence but blazed his shot over the bar, the first clear-cut chance of the game and a golden opportunity wasted for the visitors. Schmeichel had to be alert to tip minutes later to tip Ofri Arad’s header round the post as the game reached its climax. The match trundled into extra time and Celtic had another opening when Idah found the onrushing Hatate after a clever channel run. A yellow jersey blocked the resultant shot to keep the scores level. Callum McGregor and Gromyko traded shots from 25 yards before Anarbekov saved a powerful Nygren strike. Luke McCowan had the first chance of the second extra time period, but his deflected strike was palmed off the line by Anarbekov with Colby Donovan pouncing on a loose ball and pulled back for Nygren, but the Swede’s close-range strike was stopped again by home keeper. Kairat Almtay held their nerve in the resultant penalty shootout, scoring four of their five to progress to the Champions League. Anarbekov was the hero once again, saving from McCowan and Idah as Celtic’s two lacklustre displays see them head for the Europa League for the first time in four seasons. PLAYER RATINGS Kairat: Anarbekov 9 Luis Mata 7 Jorginho 8 Martynovich 8 Arad 7 D Glazer 7 Tapalov 8 Mrynskiy 8 Gromyko 8 Sorokin 7 Ricardinho 8 Celtic: Schmeichel 6 Ralston 5 Carter-Vickers 6 Scales 6 Tierney 6 McGregor 5 Hatate 5 Nygren 6 Forrest 6 Maeda 5 Yang 5

August 26, 2025

Celtic left frustrated in Almaty blank

Celtic 0 Kairat Almaty 0 Going to Almaty was going to be long enough, but Celtic have to do it the hard way if they are to secure a place in the Champions League group stage this season. The Kazakh champions came to Glasgow and put in one of the best performances they could have on the European stage to frustrate and stifle the attacking talent at Celtic’s disposal. They deserved immense credit for the way they stuck to the game plan and kept the Premiership champions at bay. Now Brendan Rodgers’ side must make the 7,000 mile trip and hope his team can take a big win and into the group phase. Fans have wondered why the club haven’t spent to help give the team a fighting chance to bring in the quality they need to take them to the next level. On this display, it could be a decision that could backfire big time on them. There was an early scare on 11 minutes when Kairat’s captain Alexsandr Martynovich had space in front of the Celtic net and put the ball into the net, but the offside flag went up. The home side had their own chance a few minutes later as Kieran Tierney played a low ball into the centre, but James Forrest just couldn’t get the ball from under his feet. Kairat posed a threat going forward and Jorginho must have rued his thinking process after being fed the ball by Edmilson. Instead of shooting, he ended up dithering and seeing it taken away from him. It was a lacklustre first half hour and there was real concern when Alistair Johnston had to be carried off with a suspected hamstring injury. Anthony Ralston was his replacement. They finally got sight of goal as Benjamin Nygren played in Daizen Maeda, but Kairat goalie Alexandr Zarutsky rushed from his goal line to narrow the angle. Celtic needed much more from their forward players, who saw the first half pass them by. Rodgers thought the same as he withdrew the ineffective Adam Idah for Hyunjun Yang. And what an impact he had initially. The second period was barely a minute old when Yang played to Forrest, who controlled to take it on his left foot, but struck the base of the post with his shot. Zarutsky grabbed it gratefully. Moving Maeda into the centre, where Idah had vacated was a good move from the Celtic manager as they started to cause problems. Nearly at the hour mark, Cameron Carter-Vickers caused a problem of his own as he briefly switched off, watching the ball roll away from him in horror where Edmilson took the initiative. Spotting keeper Kasper Schmeichel off his line, he tried one from just outside the centre circle, but luckily for the Danish goalie and the centre half, it went over the crossbar. The atmosphere was a nervy one as time ticked on among the home support, who perhaps had hopes of seeing their team rack up a favourable scoreline before the daunting trip to the far end of Kazakhstan next week. Liam Scales did well to find space to meet the corner, but could only direct it over. It was a chance that was to end Zarutsky’s night, as he hobbled off injured, where he was replaced by Temirlan Anarbekov. The biggest chance of the night fell to Maeda as the ball landed in his path and his shot low on Anarbekov was in the right place to deny the Celtic hitman deep in injury time. It summed up the kind of night it was as Almaty held on for the draw, to the delight of those hardy fans who made the mammoth trip. Celtic will hope they will be smiling in Kazakhstan in Tuesday’s return leg. Celtic: Schmeichel, Johnston (Ralston 35), Carter-Vickers, Scales, Tierney (Trusty 76) Nygren (Yamada 76), McGregor, Hatate, Forrest (Engels 70), Idah (Yang 46), Maeda Subs Not Used: Sinisalo, Simpson-Pusey, McCowan, Osmand, Kenny, Bernardo, Murray Booked: McGregor (26), Tierney (31)

August 20, 2025

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’

August 18, 2025

Rangers struggle but progress in Champions League

Vikroria Plzen 2 – 1 Rangers (Rangers win 4-2 on aggregate) Durosinmi (41′), Markovic (83′) Cameron (60′) Rangers are just one step away from the Champions League but they certainly made hard work of it as Viktoria Plzen secured a 2-1 home win, which wasn’t enough for them in the end. It was a complete contrast to last week’s swashbuckling 3-0 home win over the Czech side, but they got the job done. That’s really about the only positive to take from it, in all honesty. Saturday’s 1-1 draw at home to Dundee was not the ideal preparation as Russell Martin recalled captain James Tavernier and Nico Raskin in midfield, with Max Aarons and Joe Rothwell stepping out. There was a slight injury scare as Cyriel Dessers needed treatment on a wrist injury, but was fine to continue. More importantly, despite perhaps bracing themselves for an onslaught from Plzen, you would have imagined keen to close the gap, it really didn’t materialise. The pace of the game was ponderous at times as the Czech side seemed to lack urgency in spite of their predicament and Rangers didn’t need to do anything silly. Lukáš Červ tested Gers keeper Jack Butland with a fierce effort to remind the Ibrox men they weren’t going away yet. A penalty claim from Dessers shortly after fell on deaf ears. Prince Adu got the better of Tavernier at one point and it was another scary moment as the ball went wide. Plzen took the lead four minutes before the break with Jefte tangling himself up as he tried to keep up with Amar Memic. He nicely teed up Rafiu Durosinmi who buried his chance and the aggregate was reduced to two. Rangers were rocked and returned to the dressing room at half time needing a breather. Memic went close five minutes after the restart as Plzen smelled blood in the water while Prince Adu’s header needed Butland to deal with it. Dessers went off injured with a possible knee problem, where he was replaced by Danilo, but Rangers’ more pressing concerns were at the other end as the home side pushed them. They alleviated those fears when Lyall Cameron opened his Gers account, poking home Danilo’s attempt and the three-goal cushion was restored. In a poor performance, it was a little bit of something that the Ibrox men needed and seemed to take the wind out of Plzen’s sails after their valiant attempts to try and claw the momentum back. Prince Adu forced another great save from Butland as the Czech outfit continued to knock on the door, with the Englishman on hand shortly after to deal with Milan Havel’s header. Despite his heroics, Butland could do nothing about Svetozar Markovic’s header to bring Plzen to within two again with seven minutes to go. Suddenly, Rangers were starting to feel nervous again. They got over the line eventually, but they sure made hard work of it. Play like that against Club Brugge and they can forget about a run out with the big boys. Martin has much to do before he can even entertain that possibility.

August 12, 2025

Viktoria Plzen Vs Rangers Champions League Preview

Rangers will be looking to bounce back following a poor result to Dundee at the weekend as they eye up a spot in the Champions League play-offs by getting the job done against Viktoria Plzen. Russell Martin’s men beat the Czech side with ease last Tuesday at Ibrox 3-0 thanks to a brace from Djeidi Gassama and Cyriel Dessers penalty. If the Light Blues get through tonight, they will be facing Club Brugge or Salzburg in the play-off round. Plzen are also coming into this all important second leg following a 1-1 draw from the weekend against Slovacko, where they conceded a penalty in stoppage time. The Rangers boss spoke to the press yesterday before the second leg and confirmed Thelo Aasgaard, Hamza Igamane, and Mikey Moore will not be in the squad for the game tonight, but will all be available this Saturday for the Premier Sports Cup game against Alloa Athletic. Martin made some bold decisions last week by dropping captain James Tavernier and star midfielder Nicolas Raskin. The Englishman was impressed by Raskin’s reaction after being dropped and his contribution coming on at the weekend: “He came out of the team for reasons that me and him spoke about, and his reaction has been top, like really, really brilliant. “He’s a fantastic player, and he’s a young man that I’m getting to know all the time, and actually I like his character and personality. “It’s my job to make sure, playing for this football club, whoever you are, the demands are clear, in whatever position you play.” The last two games Martin has stuck with the same team but it is expected he will make some changes tonight. Kick-off for the game is at 6pm and is available to watch on Solidsport for £12 in the United Kingdom.

August 12, 2025

Rangers Back on Track after Resounding win over Plzen

Rangers 3-0 Viktoria Plzen Gassama (15′ 51′) Dessers (45′ pen) Rangers took a huge step towards the Champions League Play-off round after a 3-0 victory in the 3rd round 1st leg against Viktoria Plzen. Demanding a response after an opening-day draw against Motherwell, Russell Martin made four changes to his team. He dropped club captain James Tavernier and Nico Raskin to the bench, while bringing in last year’s top goalscorer Cyriel Dessers and new signing Oliver Antman. Martin also rewarded Lyall Cameron with his first European start after singling out the former Dundee midfielder’s efforts off the bench on Saturday. Coming off a thrilling 2-0 comeback win against Swiss side Servette last week, the visitors had the first real chance of the game. Memic found space on the right and delivered a cross, but last week’s hero, Durosinmi, couldn’t direct his shot on target. However, it was Rangers who took the lead with a clever move in the 14th minute. Gassama played a sharp pass to Dessers, who immediately returned it with a delicate through ball. The winger then skillfully curled his shot past Wiegele, netting his third European goal of the campaign. The goal brought Ibrox to life after a quiet start. Despite going behind, the Czech side looked threatening. Memic once again found room on the right, but his drilled pass intended for captain Matej Vydra was well blocked by Djida. Rangers quickly countered, with Lyall Cameron picking out Gassama on the left. The winger’s pass found new signing Oliver Antman, but his shot was blocked right on the line. Manager Russell Martin, who had been critical of his team’s performance on Saturday, would have been delighted with his side’s attacking football. Although Plzen enjoyed a brief spell of pressure, the home side consistently created the better scoring opportunities. Rangers’ good play was rewarded on the stroke of halftime. Gassama released Oliver Antman into the box, and after being fouled, Cyriel Dessers calmly slotted the resulting penalty past the towering 6-foot-9 Wiegele, sending Rangers into the break with a commanding lead. The fulltime whistle on Saturday evening was met with rousing boos from the Rangers faithful; tonight was a stark contrast. The second half began with the home side picking up right where they left off. Cyriel Dessers linked up with Diomande, whose curling left-footed strike from the edge of the box narrowly clipped the top of the crossbar. Just minutes later, Rangers found their third goal with another efficient attack. The electric Oliver Antman burst down the right and delivered a perfect cross for Gassama, who glanced in for his second goal of the night. After the hour mark, Plzen began to show signs of life. Sloncik came close with a shot from the edge of the box, but it sailed just over the bar. Despite the visitors’ late pressure, Rangers maintained control. Standout performances were plentiful for the home side. Both Dessers and Lyall Cameron had exceptional games and were deservedly given a rousing ovation as they were substituted in the 73rd minute. Hoping to replicate their success in Scotland from last year—when they beat Hearts in a Europa League playoff—Viktoria Plzen fought to find a consolation goal. Memic fired a powerful 35-yard shot, but it was straight at Jack Butland. In the final minutes, Sloncik’s whipped free-kick sailed just over the crossbar. As the final whistle blew, a palpable sense of optimism filled Ibrox. This was a clinical and much-improved performance from Russell Martin’s men. They appear well on their way to the Champions League play-off round but will first travel to Czechia next Tuesday for the return leg. Rangers: Butland, Aarons (Barron 74′), Souttar, Djida, Jefte, Rothwell (Raskin 64′), Cameron (Tavernier 74′), Diomande, Antman (Curtis 85′), Gassama Dessers (Danilo 74′) Bookings: Raskin 31’ Jefte 41’ Raskin 64’ Viktoria Plzen: Wiegele, Dweh, Markovic, Jemelka, Memic, Panos (Valenta 46’), Cerv, Ladra (Visinsky 56’), Spacil (Doski 87′), Vydra (Sloncik 57’), Durosinmi (Adu 65’) Bookings: Markovic 19’ Valenta 87′

August 5, 2025