Rangers

Livingston 2 Rangers 2: Rangers drop points in title race yet again

Rangers had to do it the hard way, as they came behind to gain a point in Livingston, in an enthralling last 20 minutes of the match Rangers started strong, creating numerous chances in the opening five minutes, the best coming from a Tuur Rommens free header which Jerome Prior tipped onto the post. Livingston opened the scoring in the 14th minute from a set-piece, which fell to Brooklyn Kabongolo as he hit a spectacular volley which flew into Jack Butland’s net. Shortly after the opener, Rangers were awarded a free kick in a dangerous area. Which James Tavernier’s effort from just outside the 18-yard box was parried away from Prior. Prior’s save then landed at Emmanuel Fernandez who was unable to sort his feet as his effort flew over the crossbar. The opening goal gave the home side and supporters lots of confidence, as they continued their pressure on the Rangers backline. On the half hour mark, Mikey Moore dribbled past the Livingston midfield with ease and released an effort which again was saved fantastically by Prior. The pressure from Rangers was slowly creeping back, James Tavernier with a strike that didn’t cause much trouble for Prior, but was more of a warning sign for Bartley’s squad. A messy situation in the Livingston box, saw effort after effort blocked away from the hosts, a real fight and desire from The Lions. After the interval, Rangers came out with real intensity. Bojan Miovski saw his tremendous effort tipped over the crossbar from Prior. The Frenchman Prior was active again just moments later, Tuur Rommens’ cross found Nico Raskin just yards from the hosts goal, but was yet again denied. Rangers’ afternoon went from bad to worse, on the 55th minute, Lewis Smith was found free inside the box, and his low driven effort left Butland with no chance. Giving The Lions a 2-0 lead with only 35 minutes to play. Just moments after the second goal of the match, Cristian Montano saw red for denying a goal scoring opportunity. Djeidi Gassama was played in behind the Livingston defence as Montano fouled him from behind gaining none of the ball. The Livingston defence were at it again, Daniel Finlayson somehow denied Ryan Naderi, as the Germans effort was cleared off the line. On the 75th minute, Danny Rohl threw everything at it, but it just didn’t seem to be Rangers’ day, struggling to complete three or four passes in a row, it looked to be a day to forget for Rohl’s side. On the 81st minute, Emmanuel Fernandez found space inside the danger area, which allowed him to fire an effort past Prior, giving Rangers a hope that they can keep their title challenge hopes alive. Rangers found an equaliser late into the match, Mikey Moore’s header from Tavernier’s cross slicked along the surface into Prior’s net, sending the away crowd into a frenzy. Mikey Moore was then one on one with Prior late into the match, when Cammy Kerr came sliding in taking Moore and the ball out. After a long VAR check, referee Ryan Lee cleared any penalty claims. It wasn’t to be for Rangers this afternoon, but credit to Livingston for their guts and desire throughout the full match. For Rangers, it’s a double header with rivals Celtic, as they look to put this one behind them and get back to winning ways. For Marvin Bartley’s Livi, they host St Mirren, in a must win match to keep their survival hopes alive. Prior (8), Kabongolo (8), Smith (7), Wilson (7), Montaño (5), McGowan (7), Tait (7), Finlayson (7), Muirhead (7), Danso (6), Pittman (5), Sub Nouble (5), Kerr (6), Fati (4), Sylla (4), May (3) Butland (4), Tavernier (5), Souttar (4), Fernandez (7), Rommens (7), Chukwuani (5), Raskin (5), Skov Olsen (3), Moore (7), Gassama (4), Chermiti (5) Sub Miovski (3), Naderi (3), Aasgaard (4), Bajrami (5)  

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‘I believe we can do it’ – Danny Rohl talks up Rangers’ title chances

Danny Rohl is feeling confident that Rangers can become Scottish Premiership champions this season after getting themselves back into the title race.  Since being appointed as Gers boss four months ago, he’s managed to pick up a total of 46 points and are two points behind league leaders Hearts. It was a statement victory for Rohl’s side last weekend as they triumphed over the Jambos 4-2 and next up is Livingston away this Sunday. Speaking in his pre match press conference, the 36-year-old spoke about how he believes the Ibrox club can win the title and how the mindset is there amongst his squad: “I totally believe we can do it. It’s not just about the last results, there’s no doubt about our strength of this squad now, of the individual players. There should be no question mark. “But football is football. It’s all about 11 against 11 in 90 minutes. And in one game, everything is possible. We have to do it very seriously, very aggressively. “It’s now about these games where you think you have to win to take the three points. I think this is crucial. If you want you can compare maybe the similar situation in the week, Arsenal at Wolves [a 2-2 draw in the Premier League]. “Everyone will think, ‘yeah, this is an easy win’, but even in these games the teams are down and they have sometimes not so much to lose and they try everything and it’s very important that we go serious. “But I feel at the moment there’s no doubt the mindset is completely there.”

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After that statement win against Hearts – It’s Rangers’ league to lose now! – Scott Bradley

The pressure was on Rangers going into the massive showdown against Hearts on Sunday. It was a MUST win game for Danny Rohl’s men and they rose to the occasion and got an important three points against the league leaders.  The Light Blues showed an incredible amount of fight, desire and grit to comeback not once – but twice to beat Derek McInnes’ side 4-2. 51,092 fans turned up for the box office fixture, which was a record of the modern era, and the highest attended since John Greig’s testimonial match back in 1978. The stadium was rocking from start to finish with a real sense of belief amongst the Gers faithful that they could go on and become champions. Rohl’s celebrations after Youssef Chermiti bagged his hat-trick were truly a sight to behold as the German head coach ran down the touchline bursting with pride and said after the game ‘it was the first since I’ve been here at that Ibrox was like Ibrox.’ Chermiti was the star of the day as he dominated the Jam Tarts’ defence and responded brilliantly after a disappointing display in front of goal against Motherwell. The spotlight has been on the striker after the Ibrox club spent a staggering £8 million on him, but credit where credit is due – that’s another big game where he has delivered – he’s quite the enigma! Rohl’s impact since his appointment back in October has been nothing short of remarkable and has picked up a total of 46 points. The Jambos are still top of the league by two points and deserve a lot of credit for the unbelievable season they’ve had but they’ll no doubt be feeling the pressure now with the Gers breathing down their necks. Celtic have picked up form after Martin O’Neill’s return to the Parkhead club for the third time and are grinding out results but not in convincing fashion, which is a cause for concern. There’s turmoil off the field for the Hoops as the relationship between the fans and board is beyond toxic and is showing no signs of improving anytime soon. The Celts play away from home to Stuttgart in the Europa League then three days later have a mouth watering Old Firm derby at Ibrox, which could send the Hoops faithful into meltdown if they fall to their arch-rivals. Out of the three teams challenging for the title, it’s the Govan club that are in the best position as the harmony, and positive atmosphere couldn’t be more higher. Regardless of what happens this season, it’s been one for the ages and a great advert for Scottish football. Danny Rohl will never need to buy a drink in Glasgow ever again if he wins the club’s 56th league title. This is Rangers’ league to lose.

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James Tavernier fires warning to Rangers squad that no more slip ups can happen

James Tavernier fires warning to Rangers squad that no more slip ups can happen after dropping points to Motherwell as the title race heats up. The Light Blues face league leaders Hearts at Ibrox this Sunday in what is set to be a blockbuster fixture. Danny Rohl’s men trail the Jambos by five points in the league and have lost to them in the last two occasions. The Gers looked like they were set to get all three points against the Steelmen until Celtic loanee Stephen Welsh scored an equaliser late on. Speaking after the draw at Fir Park, the Ibrox captain said all eyes are on Sunday to get the three points against Derek McInnes’ side: “We’ve had ups and downs this season and then I felt that as young as the squad is, they’ve really come round and really grew as a group. “But these are the pivotal moments in the season now, where you come down to the last stretch and you’re in the title race. So you can’t afford to have slip-ups like Wednesday night so we know it was a missed opportunity. “Now we have to respond and get three points at home on Sunday.” The Rangers Hall of Famer was frustrated at the chances the Govan club missed but is hoping for Ibrox to be rocking and packed to the rafters this Sunday: “We knew it would be a difficult game on Wednesday night. Motherwell have been in form and they obviously like to keep the ball. We probably conceded that we weren’t going to have much of it so we had to make sure we were solid for all of the game. “We missed some really good chances and then we have to defend better as a team to see the game out. Look, when Ibrox is rocking it makes a massive difference. “But it’s down to us to get that from the fans. They expect us to perform and they’ll give it back in return. It goes both ways. “Obviously we want them right behind us from the get-go. There’s been comments about when balls go out of play or mis-placed passes, the crowd won’t be. “But it’s down to us to set standards and show the performance levels fans want to see. We both have a responsibility but the players need to take the lead on that. On the weekend, we need to do that.”

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Rangers are in a great position to win the league but crunch game against Hearts is a MUST win – Scott Bradley

It was a frustrating result for Rangers last night as they conceded a late equaliser to ten men Motherwell at Fir Park and now the crunch game against Hearts is MUST win.  This Scottish Premiership season has been one for the ages and it’s delivered a title race that nobody could have predicted between Hearts, Rangers and Celtic. The Jambos have been sitting top of the league for the past four months and Derek McInnes deserves all the credit in the world for the incredible job he’s doing at Tynecastle. Danny Rohl is another man who has done an exceptional job since arriving in Glasgow and has worked wonders with what is an average squad. After the sacking of Russell Martin in October, many believed the Light Blues were dead and buried and had no chance of getting back into the title race. Rohl has won 13 of his 18 league games in charge and has got the Ibrox club right back in the title hunt. Before the draw against the Steelmen, the German head coach hadn’t really put a foot wrong but last night he got the tactics and substitutions all wrong. The Gers never tried to kill the game off after the Well got Lukas Fadinger sent off. Rohl decided to put ten men behind the ball and see the result out, which backfired. It felt like a defeat conceding so late on and in a title race every game is a cup final and after failing to win last night – the pressure to get a victory against the league leaders at Ibrox this Sunday is even more intense and important than it already was before. The Teddy Bears are five points behind the Gorgie club and a point ahead of the Hoops who have a game in hand. The 49ers fully backed their man in the January window bringing in four signings and spent around £12 million. That was a clear sign that the Ibrox higher ups aren’t messing about and want to win the club’s 56th league title. There’s been many twists and turns in this historic Premiership season with many more to come but if Rohl’s side were to lose to McInnes’ men and if the Hoops beat Kilmarnock – it’ll be a monumental task to get back into the race. Rohl’s last outing against the Jam Tarts was a 2-1 defeat – his only league loss. The 36-year-old needs to go with his strongest side and not tinker things about with the team selection like he did last night. This will be a real test of this Rangers squads mentality because the pressure is fully on them to get a result and Hearts will be right up for the occasion. Sunday will be Rohl’s biggest and most important game so far in his managerial career and it’s one he cannot afford to lose.

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Motherwell 1-1 Rangers: Celtic loanee haunts Gers with late equaliser

Motherwell 1-1 Rangers Raskin (6′)  Welsh (89′) Stephen Welsh dented Rangers’ title charge with a deserved point at Fir Park, leaving Danny Rohl’s side five points behind leaders Hearts in the pulsating title race. Motherwell went close in the opening four minutes after Stephen O’Donnell’s cross found Emmanuel Longelo at the back post. The Englishman drilled past Jack Butland in August, but the goalkeeper parried his powerful strike from the left edge of the penalty box on this occasion. Rangers opened the scoring moments later. The hosts afforded Mohamed Diomande acres of space to drive towards Calum Ward’s goal. The midfielder’s cute pass split the Motherwell defence, allowing the onrushing Nico Raskin to sidefoot home from the penalty box. It was the dream start for Danny Rohl’s men, considering this was the first goal the hosts had conceded at Fir Park since mid-October. Jens Berthel Askou would have been disappointed with the cheapness of Rangers’ opener, but his side continued to settle. Despite enjoying large periods of possession in the opening 20 minutes, Elijah Just’s routine free kick was the only other test for Butland. Premiership top-goalscorer Tawanda Maswanhise has impressed throughout Motherwell’s standout season. He went close to equalising in the 27th minute, but after latching on to O’Donnell’s defence-splitting ball, his strike cannoned off the woodwork from a tight angle. Raskin produced a brilliant goal-line header to deny Stephen Welsh soon after, as the hosts continued to threaten. Rangers may have held the lead, but Askou’s side looked likely to find the equaliser. Youssef Chermiti had a golden chance to double Rangers’ advantage near the break. Welsh’s misjudged header found its way to the striker in the box, but he showed little composure with his slashed effort. January signing Ryan Naderi, sitting on the bench, may have fancied his chances. Chances were rare for both sides in the opening twenty minutes of the second period, as Rangers stemmed the home side’s dominance in the second half.  Just stung the palms of Butland in the 66th minute as they looked to force a crucial equaliser. Motherwell’s task got harder after Stephen McLean gave Lukas Fadinger his marching orders. The midfielder’s lunge caught the calf of Mikey Moore, and after reviewing the VAR monitor, the referee rightly sent the Austrian off. Eythor Bjørgolfsson’s close-range header forced Butland into a save, but Motherwell forced an equaliser courtesy of their Celtic loanee moments later. Rangers’ lead evaporated in the 89th minute when Bjørgolfsson’s cushioned header found Welsh, who clinically fired home from inside the area. It was a hauntingly familiar scene for the visitors; having conceded a late leveller at Fir Park back in August, they were forced to endure the same late-game heartbreak all over again. Neither side could find a winner in the closing minutes, as Stephen McLean called a halt to proceedings on a remarkable night. The draw leaves Rangers five points behind Hearts before Sunday’s meeting with the league leaders at Ibrox. Motherwell remain fourth, and host Aberdeen this weekend. Motherwell: Ward 7 O’Donnell 7 McGinn 7 Welsh 8 Longelo 7 Fadinger 5 Watt 6 Slattery 6 Just 6 Said 6 Maswanhise 7 Substitutes: Priestman 6 Bjorgolfsson 5 Sparrow 5 Charles-Cook 3 Nicholson 3 Rangers: Butland 7 Tavernier 6 Souttar 7 Djiga 6 Meghoma 6 Chukwuani 6 Raskin 7 Diomande 6 Gassama 6 Moore 7 Chermiti 6 Substitutes: Naderi 6 Fernandez 4 Aasgaard 3 Miovski 3 Sterling 3

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Gaps Plugged but is it Enough? – Rangers Transfer Window Review

Rangers had a fairly busy but certainly expensive January transfer window, spending £12million, more than any other club in the league. They’ve strengthened in areas that were needed and will hope that it will be enough to give them the boost towards the league title. Looking over the four players they did sign, you can evaluate their chances of hitting their target of a first league title since 2020/21. Tochi Chukwuani Chukwuani came to Rangers early in the window for around £3.5million, filling a pivotal part of the Rangers squad playing in the number six position. Nico Raskin had been filling in that part of the Rangers team, but with little success, and is clearly more suited to a number eight, box-to-box type of midfield role. Chukwuani can play that role much more efficiently, sweeping across the back line to cover gaps defensively, and he may prove invaluable during the run-in of the season. Tuur Rommens The Belgian U-21 international signed from Westerloo in the Belgian Pro League, managed by former Rangers coach Issame Charaï. Left back was another position Rangers were short in cover, as the only natural left back they had was Jayden Meghoma, and it’s not viable to expect to win a league with just one player for any position. As modern full-backs go, his real strengths come from attacking. However, Rommens, from his left back position, enjoys making runs into the inside left channel, something Rangers have been missing for a while. It adds another dimension to the Rangers’ attack that they can use to break stubborn defences down. Andreas Skov Olsen The Danish international winger has joined from Wolfsburg to a lot of fanfare. He was on fire at Club Brugge, but his move to Germany hasn’t worked out as he expected. Here you have a player who will be desperate to get his form back, not just for his new club but for his nation’s World Cup playoffs in March. A left-footed winger who can play on both wings but seems to prefer the right wing to cut inside and get shots away, he can beat players in 1v1 situations. He definitely can be a game-changer and is also the most exciting of the Rangers’ signings of this window. Ryan Naderi Rangers were left to sweat until the final minutes of the window to get Naderi in the door. It was of great importance for them to get a striker in as Bojan Miovski and Youssef Chermiti haven’t hit the goal-scoring heights needed to be the number nine Rangers require. Naderi has eight goals and four assists in 18 games for Hansa Rostock in the 3. Liga, the third tier of German football. Despite the seemingly low level he’s come from, you’d back fellow German and Rangers head coach Danny Röhl to know whether or not Naderi is worth the reported €5.5million (£4.7million) to bring him in now instead of in the summer, like Rostock were insisting. If he gets going, he could be pivotal if the Rangers are to win the league. This transfer window can be seen as a relative success. Being really picky, you’d maybe think Rangers are short of a creative midfielder, as Thelo Aasgaard has struggled to really prove himself so far, and a central defender, as injury-prone John Souttar, currently injured, Derek Cornelius and struggling Nasser Djiga could use extra help. However, the areas Rangers did strengthen were very necessary and should stand Rangers in good stead as the Scottish Premiership title race looks to be going to the wire.

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Rangers Finally Get Their Man Naderi

As the clock ticked down to the final seconds of the transfer window, Rangers finally announced the signing of German striker Ryan Naderi from 3.Liga club Hansa Rostock. The 22-year-old striker has 12 goal involvements in the 18 games he’s played in Germany’s third tier this season. Danny Röhl would have been desperate to get a striker in as goals from open play have been scarce for Rangers, with a big reason for that being a lack goals from strikers. With Youssef Chermiti and Bojan Miovski unable to be that focal point in the Rangers attack, Röhl will be hoping Naderi can bring his good form to Ibrox. With a reported fee of €5.5million, much higher than originally expected, it’s believed the extra money is to make sure Rangers get their man now instead of the summer. Hansa Rostock were adamant that the striker stayed with them until the summer, as they are currently in a fight to get promoted to Bundesliga 2 in Germany. However, Rangers in their hunt for the Scottish Premiership title, Andrew Cavanagh and the 49ers Enterprises have put their hands in their pockets to get their man in this window. This is the most expensive transfer out of the third tier of German football ever, and Naderi will have a lot of pressure on his shoulders. However, with Danny Röhl’s knowledge of German football, it’s obvious the Rangers boss has faith in his new acquisition.

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Hibernian 0-0 Rangers: Both Teams Fire Blanks in the Capital

A blow to Rangers title hopes as they lose ground on Hearts at the top of the table as they played out an entertaining scoreless draw with Hibernian. Hibs came into this one off the back of a few poor results against Falkirk and in the cup against Dunfermline, with only two wins in their last five. Rangers are on a run of seven wins domestically and only lost their first game in nine away to Porto midweek as they were looking to continue their title push. There were two changes for Hibs as they looked to bounce back from a 4-1 loss at Falkirk, now departed Kieron Bowie and Jamie McGrath dropped out for Elle Youan and Joe Newell. As for Rangers they made five changes from the midweek loss to Porto, James Tavernier, Max Aarons, Nasser Djiga, Mohammed Diomande and now away Findlay Curtis are out for Dujon Sterling, Andreas Skov Olson, Tochi Chukwuani, Thelo Aasgaard and John Souttar. First action came for Rangers, a good ball from Djedi Gassama found Aasgaard in space on the edge of the area, but his shot was blocked for a Rangers corner. That corner was a good one onto the head of John Souttar, but his header flew over the bar and Hibs received a goal kick. As we reached the mid-way point of the first half, Rangers were consolidating possession but lacked directness in their play, Hibs were defending well but struggled to really test the Rangers defence. First real chance for Hibs came when Youan got a good cross in for Hibs skipper Joe Newell who found himself in space near the penalty spot, but his header went wide. Youan again looking lively as he beat Souttar to a high ball he managed to get into the area but his shot was beaten away by Rangers keeper Jack Butland Butland again was called into action after a good run by sub Kai Andrews found Youan and the Rangers keeper tipped the ball over the bar. A great ball in by Gassama was played back across goal by Skov Olsen and it had Jack Iredale panicking but the Hibs defender was able to clear before any Rangers players arrived. A good free kick in by Jordan Obita was cleared by the Rangers defence for a corner as Martin Boyle was lurking to try and get his toe on it. A ball through to Boyle is missed by Emmanuel Fernandez and he was through one on one with Butland but the keeper was able to save. Another Hibs chance followed as some good play finally released Obita on the left and his cross got to Youan at the back post and his header was wide when it really should have been a lot better. First shot of the second half came from Rangers as Fernandez wins the ball on the edge of the area and his deflected shot goes way over for a corner. Another headed chance for Hibs and Youan went over the bar once again after good running from Boyle kept the move alive. Another shot from outside the box from Fernandez is deflected and this time Raphael Salinger has to knock it behind for another corner. Good running from new signing Dane Scarlett won Hibs a first corner of the second half as they tried to put Rangers under some pressure again. Mikey Moore had the ball in the net but the flag went up, after a VAR review the decision was upheld and it stayed 0-0. Hibs went straight up the park after that and managed to get a shot away with Kanayo Megwa but Jack Butland was able to catch. As we went into the last 10 the game had opened up and both teams were attacking with intensity knowing one goal would likely win it. After a counter attack the ball fell to another new HIbs player Owen Elding but his shot was easy for Butland. Nedim Bajrami got the ball a bit of space and shaped to shoot, but his shot went way over the goal. Hibs win a corner in the last minute as Scarlett has a close range chance blocked by Souttar but the corner comes to nothing. A spectacular last minute overhead kick attempt by Bojan Miovski was saved by Raphael Salinger as the final whistle was blown. Next up for Hibs is another home game, this time they face Dundee United on Wednesday night where they’ll look to finally get back to winning ways. As for Rangers they’re also at home on Wednesday night against Kilmarnock who won their first game since the 4th October this weekend. Hibernian Raphael Salinger, Grant Hanley (Nicky Cadden 70), Elle Youan (Dane Scarlett 70), Martin Boyle (Owen Elding 66), Joe Newell (Rudi Molotnikov 66), Miguel Chaiwa (Kai Andrews 10), Jack Iredale, Jordan Obita, Dan Barlaser, Kanayo Megwa, Rocky Bushiri. Rangers Jack Butland, John Souttar, Andreas Skov Olsen (Nedim Bajrami 70), Youssef Chermiti, Thelo Aasgaard (Bojan Miovski 86), Dujon Sterling (Max Aarons 86), Djedi Gassama (Mikey Moore 56), Jayden Meghoma, Emmanuel Fernandez, Tochi Chuckwuani (Mohammed Diomande 70), Nicolas Raskin.

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Porto 3-1 Rangers: First Half Flurry Powers Portuguese Giants Past Gers

Porto 3-1 Rangers Mora (27′)  Moura (36′)  Fernandez (41′ og)  Gassama (6′) Porto consigned Rangers to their sixth Europa League defeat of the season at the Estádio do Dragão, as Danny Rohl’s side pivots toward a looming three-horse title race. Djeidi Gassama gave the visitors an early lead courtesy of a slick team move. James Tavernier slid the ball to Findlay Curtis on the right after nipping in front of a Porto body. Gassama headed the winger’s backpost cross into the ground, and across Diogo Costa, giving Rohl’s side the advantage. After stretching their winning run to eight games on Sunday, the Gers looked full of confidence, but the hosts seized control, delivering a devastating 14-minute spell. A deserved equaliser arrived in the 27th minute, after teenage sensation Rodrigo Mora slid past Jack Butland. The Rangers goalkeeper then collided with James Tavernier in the box nine minutes later, allowing Francisco Moura to roll home. The third blow was administered on the stroke of halftime, after Emmanuel Fernandez headed into his own net from a Porto corner. Rangers’ run of five consecutive clean sheets had come to a grinding halt. Victory pushed the Portuguese side into the Europa League top eight, progressing automatically to the last 16. Rangers’ elimination was previously confirmed; Easter Road awaits the Glasgow giants on Sunday afternoon. Porto: D Costa, A Costa (Fernandez 61′) Bednarek, Kiwior, Moura, Froholdt (Rosario 68′) Varela, Mora (Veiga 81′) Gomes, Samu (Gul 68′) Pepe (Sainz 61′) Rangers: Butland, Aarons, Tavernier, Fernandez (Antman 58′) Djiga, Meghoma (Souttar 46′) Raskin, Diomande, Curtis (Moore 70′) Gassama (Miovski 58′), Chermiti (Aasgaard 70′)

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