Three winners and losers from Rangers’ loss to Viktoria Plzen
Rangers have progressed to the next round of Champions League qualifying despite their 2-1 defeat to Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday.
The Czech outfit scored via Rafia Durusunmi and Svetozar Markovic, either side of Lyall Cameron’s equaliser for the Light Blues on 12 August.
Despite their defeat in Czechia, Russell Martin’s men have progressed to the Champions League playoff round thanks to last week’s 3-0 win over Viktoria Plzen at Ibrox in the first leg.
The Bears will now turn their attention to their Scottish League Cup clash with Alloa Athletic on Saturday, 16 August.
Meanwhile, Football Insider takes a look at three Rangers stars who excelled in Czechia, and three who had an evening they’d rather forget.
Winners
Jack Butland
Jack Butland rightfully came under scrutiny for his errors last season, while he is still yet to keep a clean sheet in the Scottish Premiership this term.
However, the former England international made a catalogue of top-drawer saves to prevent the Glasgow side from suffering a heavier defeat on Tuesday.
The two goals Rangers conceded were through no fault of Butland’s, and Martin will wish to see his goalkeeper perform like this every match.
Lyall Cameron
The Ibrox giants’ best moment on Tuesday arrived when Lyall Cameron steered the ball home to score his first goal in European football.
While Cameron was less impressive when Rangers drew with Dundee in their last league outing, his performance in Czechia exemplified the 22-year-old’s potential.
The midfielder’s showing against Viktoria Plzen suggests he can excel against lesser opponents Alloa on Saturday.
Danilo
Danilo’s job to impress on Tuesday was made somewhat easier by the fact that fellow striker Cyriel Dessers struggled before leaving the field of play through injury.
After replacing the Nigeria international, Danilo showed his attacking prowess by creating the assist for Cameron.
Danilo failed to perform when Rangers drew with Motherwell and Dundee in the Scottish Premiership, but was able to produce a better showing in Europe on Tuesday.
Losers
Jefte
Martin began the season favouring conventional right-back and summer signing Max Aarons in the left-back spot over Jefte.
Amid Aarons’ absence through injury in Plzen, the Brazilian did not help his cause and was beaten on the wing far too easily as Rangers conceded the opening goal.
The 21-year-old must perform much better next time out if he wishes to sustain an extended run in Martin’s starting 11.
Cyriel Dessers
Striker Dessers had a poor night at the office, failing to muster a single shot in a 54-minute appearance.
The 30-year-old’s outing went from bad to worse when he had to leave the field through injury, and was replaced by Danilo.
Danilo performed significantly better than Dessers, adding to the former Feyenoord man’s woes.
Djeidi Gassama
Djeidi Gassama has been a class act for Rangers since joining from Sheffield Wednesday this summer.
The winger has notched a clinical return of four goals in six appearances for the Light Blues across all competitions.
However, the former Owls man was far from his best in Plzen, as he failed to provide his usual attacking threat, and was also shown a yellow card.
Elsewhere, football finance expert Dan Plumley exclusively told Ibrox News what Champions League qualification would mean for Rangers.