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Tag: Rangers

  • Rangers tie against Benfica in Europa League

    Rangers tie against Benfica in Europa League

    Rangers were held to a 2-2 draw in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie against Benfica, surrendering the lead twice in a dramatic encounter.

    Philippe Clement’s side faced injury setbacks but managed to take an early lead through returning midfielder Tom Lawrence’s header. However, Angel Di Maria equalized for Benfica with a penalty in first-half added time after John Souttar was penalized for handball following a VAR review.

    Dujon Sterling restored the Rangers‘ lead in added time with his first career goal, but Connor Goldson’s own goal in the second half leveled the tie. The result sets up an intriguing second leg in Glasgow next Thursday.

    Benfica had several big names in their starting lineup, including Argentina World Cup winners Nicolas Otamendi and Di Maria. Rangers, on the other hand, faced attacking challenges due to injuries to key wingers, resulting in a lack of natural width in their attack.

    Despite the draw, Rangers will be confident of progressing in the return leg, aiming to secure a spot in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

  • Rangers sweep into Viaplay Cup final after beating Hearts

    Rangers sweep into Viaplay Cup final after beating Hearts

    Rangers secured a convincing 3-1 victory over Hearts at Hampden Stadium in the Viaplay Cup, with an electric performance in the second half.

    The Edinburgh team was left stunned as Rangers, under the management of Philippe Clement, continued their unbeaten streak with three goals in the first 15 minutes after the halftime break, including a brace from James Tavernier and a well-executed strike from Scott Wright.

    Rangers, under Clement’s guidance, have been prolific in front of goal, scoring 14 goals in his first five matches in charge, with 10 of them coming in a successful week.

    James Tavernier’s two goals brought his total to six in his last six games, and Rangers are now set to face Aberdeen in the final on Sunday, December 17, in Glasgow’s southside.

    The match began with both teams evenly matched, but Rangers gained control early on. A precise diagonal pass from Connor Goldson found Abdallah Sima, who set up Danilo inside the penalty area, but the Brazilian’s shot missed the target.

    Rangers displayed dynamic attacking rotations, as Ryan Jack’s pass found Danilo via a clever feint from Todd Cantwell, but Danilo’s shot from a tight angle went over the crossbar.

    Rangers continued to apply pressure, with James Tavernier providing a cross for Sima, and Zander Clark made a reflex save to deny the Senegalese forward’s header.

    Rangers looked particularly dangerous on the right flank, as Cantwell’s header from Tavernier’s delivery was saved by Clark.

    Hearts had limited opportunities to threaten Rangers’ penalty area, with Leon Balogun clearing Toby Sibbick’s shot. Sima’s header from Borna Barisic’s corner also missed the target.

    At halftime, Clement made a substitution, bringing in Scott Wright for Cantwell. Shortly after the restart, Rangers were awarded a penalty when a short backpass from Kye Rowles allowed Danilo to be brought down by Clark. Tavernier, the captain, confidently converted the penalty to give Rangers the lead.

    The game quickly turned in Rangers’ favor, as Frankie Kent’s header was saved by Jack Butland, leading to a counter-attack that ended with Scott Wright scoring a goal reminiscent of his strike in the Scottish Cup final against Hearts last year.

    Hearts had their moments, with Stephen Kingsley’s long-range effort requiring a fantastic save from Butland.

    Rangers put the game beyond doubt when Wright was fouled by Rowles, and Tavernier scored a stunning free-kick, leaving Clark with no chance.

    Wright had another chance to score but narrowly missed the target. Hearts managed to score a consolation goal from the penalty spot after Lawrence Shankland was fouled by Ben Davies.

    The referee signaled six minutes of added time, and Rangers advanced to their first cup final of the season, all in the first attempt.

  • Clement replaces Beale at Rangers

    Clement replaces Beale at Rangers

    Rangers have confirmed the appointment of Philippe Clement as their new manager.

    The 49-year-old Clement had been without a job since departing Monaco earlier this year.

    He takes over from Michael Beale, who was dismissed after his team suffered three losses in their first seven league matches of the season.

    Upon being unveiled as the club’s new boss, Clement said: “I am honoured to have been appointed as the new manager of Rangers Football Club and I’d like to thank the board for giving me this opportunity.

    “I am looking forward to meeting with the players in the coming days and to meeting our supporters at next Saturday’s home match with Hibernian, as we set out together to create a successful, winning Rangers.”

    Gers chairman John Bennett said that the Belgian was the outstanding pick from a “carefully planned and comprehensive recruitment process”.

    He said: “I would like to offer my warm congratulations to Philippe as he becomes our 19th manager.

    “A team led by our CEO James Bisgrove, members of the board, and former Rangers player and manager Graeme Souness, has spent the last 10 days interviewing several high calibre candidates.

    “Philippe proved to be the outstanding candidate across all the key criteria, reinforced by his track record of winning titles and I wish him every success as he leads us forward.”

  • Lammers decides to settle down at Rangers

    Lammers decides to settle down at Rangers

    New signing Sam Lammers, who has been on loan from Atalanta for a substantial amount of his career, aspires to “settle” at Rangers in the following campaigns.

    The 26-year-old forward only started once for the Bergamo squad before being loaned out three times to Eintracht Frankfurt, Empoli, and Sampdoria.

    Lammers is optimistic he will be given a fair chance to establish himself at Ibrox as he attempts to restart his career after signing a four-year deal with Rangers.

    ā€œThis is what Iā€™ve been searching for,ā€ he told Sky Sports. ā€œAfter this season I made it clear for myself that I wanted a new place to settle down, a new home because even last year I was at two clubs and before that I was on loan in Germany.

    ā€œI think now is time to settle somewhere and itā€™s good to sign a permanent deal with Rangers. The confidence of the club is key for me to sign.

    ā€œComing into a new country is not easy. When you go from Holland to Italy itā€™s a change of language, a change of culture and everything.

    ā€œIt gets easier but you feel at home after one year or six months, you need time to settle, and it didnā€™t happen for me in the last two years so Iā€™m happy that I have the possibility to do that here.ā€

    During his first loan spell at Eintracht Frankfurt, Lammers encountered the Rangers support for the first time.

    The Dutchman was an unused sub for the Bundesliga side as they defeated the Gers on penalties in the Europa League final in Seville just over a year ago.

    ā€œWhen we got to the final, it felt as if it was the best-supported clubs of the Europa League colliding,ā€ said Lammers.

    ā€œIt was, from both sides, very impressive. At that game you could see how big the club is and how it lives here in Scotland also.ā€

    Lammers has scored only 27 career goals, the majority of which came on loan at Heerenveen in 2018-19. However, he insists his game is about more than just scoring.

    ā€œI know for a striker the main target is to score a lot of goals and I know I can do that also,ā€ he said. ā€œIā€™m aware of this being a big part of being a striker and this is also my goal at Rangers to do that, but Iā€™m not a typical striker who is only hanging inside the box for his one or two chances.

    ā€œI want to help the team, I can drop out of the striker position. With my legs you would expect me maybe to be a target man but thatā€™s not what I am.

    ā€œI want to score more goals again because I know I have it in me. In the past I scored a lot of goals then in the last couple of years not so much, but sometimes in the clubs I was at it wasnā€™t easy as you didnā€™t get a lot of chances.

    ā€œI think the attacking style of play at Rangers also fits me.ā€

  • Rangers sack Van Bronckhorst after falling behind Celtic in title race

    Rangers have sacked manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst after falling off the pace in the Scottish Premiership title race.

    Van Bronckhorst joined Rangers last November following Steven Gerrard’s move to Aston Villa, leading them to a Scottish Cup triumph and a Europa League final – where they were beaten by Eintracht Frankfurt – last term.

    However, Van Bronckhorst was unable to inspire consistency in the Scottish Premiership, with Rangers finishing last season four points behind Celtic and entering the World Cup break nine adrift of their Old Firm rivals.

    Rangers also endured a chastening Champions League campaign this term, becoming the first Scottish team to lose all six of their group-stage games in the competition.

    Van Bronckhorst’s team conceded 22 goals across those matches, which included a 7-1 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool and a 4-0 defeat at Ajax.

    In a statement on Rangers’ website on Monday, chairman Douglas Park said: “I want to thank Gio for the hard work he has put in over the last 12 months and, especially the achievements of taking the club to the Europa League final and winning the Scottish Cup last season.

    “Unfortunately, recent results have not met neither our nor Gioā€™s expectations, and we have taken this difficult decision today. Everyone at Rangers wishes Gio every success in the future.”

    With the Scottish Premiership campaign on hold for the World Cup in Qatar, Rangers have over three weeks to find a replacement before they host Hibernian on December 15.


    Source: Livescore

  • Simeone strikes twice to heap further pressure on Rangers

    Rangers’ slim hopes of playing Europa League football in the new year are all but over following a 3-0 defeat to Napoli in Naples, heaping further pressure upon Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

    The Scottish side needed a result and a favour from Liverpool against Ajax to retain a realistic chance of finishing third, and while Jurgen Klopp’s side did their part, Rangers were swept aside by the Serie A leaders.

    Napoli took the lead after just 11 minutes, Giovanni Simeone rifling home after Giovanni Di Lorenzo teed him up, and the forward was on the scoresheet again five minutes later as he tucked home Mario Rui’s cross.

    Tanguy Ndombele’s fierce strike from outside the box clattered off the bar before the break, while the second half saw Alfredo Morelos fail to connect from close range in the visitors’ best chance of the game.

    Any hope of a late comeback was crushed 10 minutes from the final whistle when Leo Ostigard was left unmarked and headed home Giacomo Raspadori’s corner.

    With Rangers three points behind Ajax and having lost their first meeting 4-0, Van Bronckhorst’s side need a remarkable result in Amsterdam next week to clinch third place and Europa League football.

    Source: Livescore

  • Klopp blows his top at Hamann’s comments over Reds future

    Jurgen Klopp has hit back at criticism by Dietmar Hamann suggesting his Liverpool job could be in doubt.

    The Anfield club have made their worst start to a Premier League season under the German boss after picking up just 10 points from their first eight games following Sundayā€™s 3-2 defeat to Arsenal.

    Hamman, who won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005, said questions may be asked of the manager if results do not improve and added that the Merseysiders need to find a “spark”.

    Those comments were put to Klopp ahead of their trip to face Rangers at Ibrox in the Champions League tonight.

    He said: “Oh great, he is a fantastic source. Well respected everywhere.

    “[Being a former Liverpool player] doesnā€™t give you the right to say what you want, especially when you have no idea.

    “I actually think Didi Hamann doesnā€™t deserve that you use his phrase when asking a question. Do me a favour and ask your own question. Try to ask the question without the word ‘spark’.”

    Reds fighting on

    Klopp’s misery was compounded after it was confirmed Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joel Matip are both out for up to three weeks with injury, while Luis Diaz will be sidelined until after the World Cup.

    They add to the list of casualties the Reds are contending with, with Naby Keita, Curtis Jones, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and summer loan signing Arthur Melo unavailable for the trip north of the border.

    While currently up against it, Klopp preferred to see the positive side of the situation and vowed that his team will come out fighting in Glasgow this evening.

    Trent Alexander-Arnold's injury dealt a further blow to Liverpool following their 3-2 defeat to Arsenal
    Trent Alexander-Arnold’s injury dealt a further blow to Liverpool following their 3-2 defeat to Arsenal

    He added: “If you sleep on a problem, sometimes you realise life goes on. I just stood there at Arsenal and we had lost the game. I knew already that we had three big injuries.

    “So how can I, in this moment, not feel downbeat? It’s not possible.

    “But then you get information on the injuries step-by-step and it’s two or three weeks rather than my fear of eight weeks for Alexander-Arnold. The other injury, for Matip, is not too long as well and the other is out for as long as we expected.

    “This is a tough situation but it is also a challenge. We always face challenges but we go for it and I am sorry to all our people that after last season we go again and it’s not the case that we are competing for everything.

    “I cannot promise that we will fly tomorrow but we will fight, definitely, until someone tells us the fight is over.

    “It hasn’t got easier since Sunday because of the injuries but the team I saw in training I liked a lot. So let’s give it a go.”

    Ibrox cauldron

    Rangers midfielder John Lundstram wants to use the “auraā€ of Ibrox to get the better of Liverpool tonight.

    The Gers are participating in Europeā€™s elite competition for the first time in 12 years but have begun their Group A campaign with three defeats from three and no goals scored.

    They head into tonightā€™s clash with the second-placed Reds as underdogs despite their opponentsā€™ patchy start.

    But Liverpudlian Lundstram, 28, insisted the atmosphere may give the home side an extra edge, just as it did during their run to the Europa League final last term.

    John Lundstram is eager to harness the Ibrox atmosphere tonight
    John Lundstram is eager to harness the Ibrox atmosphere tonight

    The boyhood Reds fan said: “Thereā€™s something special about Ibrox on European nights. Anyone who has been here will have felt the atmosphere, felt the aura around the place.

    “Thereā€™s just something that happens underneath the lights here, I donā€™t know what it is, I canā€™t put my finger on it.

    “It gets everyone and gives you a lift. Thereā€™s something in the air and hopefully that can be the same again tomorrow.ā€

    Liverpool were 2-0 winners in the reverse fixture at Anfield last week, with Giovanni van Bronckhorstā€™s outfit struggling to put up much of a fight against last seasonā€™s Champions League finalists.

    Determined to present more of a challenge this time, the former Sheffield United ace added: “Itā€™s great to come up against these players but theyā€™re on the other team.

    “Youā€™ve got to block that out and play your own game and show them respect to a certain extent, but at the same time show them no respect as well.

    “We have to try and get in amongst it.

    ā€œA lot of players can be great players when you have time on the ball, I think weā€™re great players when we have time on the ball but when you get up in someoneā€™s face, things change.

    “Hopefully if we can do that and our midfield match their midfield, that will be key.

    “As long as weā€™re up against them and laying a glove on them, hopefully we can get something.”

    Source: Livescore

     

  • Ajax beat Rangers by four goals

    A sobering night for Rangers. They were thoroughly outclassed in Amsterdam and that’s back-to-back 4-0 defeats for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side.

    Ajax were rampant in the three-goal first half, not giving the visitors a chance to breath.

    The tempo dropped considerably after the break and Rangers did at least manage to stage a few attacks, but they were undone by a careless mistake for goal number four.

  • Second-leg predictions for the Champions League playoffs : Tough ask for Rangers at PSV

    The final three places in the Champions League group stage will be confirmed on Wednesday.

    Scottish giants Rangers travel to PSV Eindhoven with their tie finely poised at 2-2, while Bodo/Glimt hold a narrow 1-0 advantage over Dinamo Zagreb and FC Copenhagen lead Trabzonspor 2-1 after the first game.

    All six teams will feel they have a chance of making it into the group draw for Europe’s elite club competition, while the losers will drop into the group stage of the Europa League.

    PSV Eindhoven vs Rangers (Wednesday, 8pm)

    Last week’s Ibrox showdown ended all square when PSV equalised with 12 minutes to go through Armando Obispo and the Eredivisie side will now believe they can progress to the Champions League group stage for the first time since 2018-19.

    Rangers are hoping to end a 12-year absence as they look to follow up on their fantastic run to last season’s Europa League final.

    The stats

    PSV have won their first two league games in the Netherlands in impressive fashion, kicking off with a 4-1 home victory over Emmen and then hammering Go Ahead Eagles 5-2.

    Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side have had a week to prepare for the second leg and will hope to see off Rangers after edging out Monaco in the third qualifying round 4-3 on aggregate.

    The Gers dropped their first points in the Scottish Premiership at the weekend when they were held 2-2 by Hibernian to make it 10 points from a possible 12 at the start of the campaign.

    Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men progressed past Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise in the previous round thanks to a stunning 3-0 second-leg win at home to wipe out a 2-0 first-leg deficit.

    Prediction

    Van Bronckhorst has left Alfredo Morelos out of his squad, reportedly due to concerns about his fitness and attitude after the striker was sent off against Hibs on Saturday.

    His absence makes what was already a difficult task even harder for the visitors, who will be wary of a PSV side who have hit 20 goals in their six competitive games so far this season.

    Rangers have managed 15 goals in their seven games in all competitions and have Antonio Colak in fine form with four goals in his last five matches, so they should at least be able to get on the scoresheet in what may be a narrow overall defeat.

    Dinamo Zagreb vs Bodo/Glimt (Wednesday, 8pm)

    Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt won the first leg 1-0 on home soil but Croatian opponents Dinamo Zagreb will be aiming to hit back in the return leg at the Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb.

    The stats

    A first-leg goal from Amahl Pellegrino separates the sides and means Bodo/Glimt are dreaming of securing a place in the Champions League group stage for the first time in their history.

    They have made it this far thanks to wins over KI Klaksvik, Linfield and Zalgiris in the three qualifying rounds and they sit third in the Norwegian top flight, seven points off the top.

    Kjetil Knutsen’s side have won six of their last seven league games Ć¢ā‚¬ā€ the only slip-up in that spell coming at the weekend when they were held to a 2-2 draw by HamKam.

    Kjetil Knutsen's Bodo/Glimt have made a fantastic start to the season
    Kjetil Knutsen’s Bodo/Glimt have made a fantastic start to the season

    Dinamo Zagreb sit at the top of the table in Croatia, having won five of their first six games this season, and beat Osijek 5-2 at the weekend.

    Ante Cacic’s side have made it to the play-off round after beating Shkupi and Ludogorets in the earlier qualifying rounds and are aiming to return to the Champions League group stage for the first time since the 2019-20 season.

    Prediction

    Bodo/Glimt’s run through the qualifying rounds has been eye-catching but they come up against an in-form Dinamo side who have won their last four home games in all competitions, scoring at least four goals on each occasion.

    The visitors have relied on home form to get them this far, losing two of their three away qualifiers and another defeat on the road seems likely to end their Champions League group stage hopes.

    Trabzonspor vs FC Copenhagen (Wednesday, 8pm)

    Danish champions Copenhagen hold a 2-1 advantage in this tie thanks to goals from Viktor Claesson and Lukas Lerager and now Jess Thorup’s side will look to finish the job in Turkey.

    The stats

    Copenhagen have not been in the Champions League group stage since 2016-17 while Trabzonspor’s sole appearance in the main draw came back in 2011-12.

    Copenhagen are fifth in the Danish Superliga after picking up a disappointing nine points from their first six games, while Trabzonspor won their first two domestic league matches before going down to a 5-2 defeat to Antalyaspor at the weekend.

    Prediction

    With a slender advantage to defend, the visitors can progress but it could be a nervy and dramatic night in Trabzon.

    Copenhagen won 3-0 last time out in the Danish top flight at Lyngby and have scored at least two goals in five of their last six matches overall, so they clearly have the firepower to edge past the hosts in what could be a high-scoring second leg.

    Source:livescore.com

  • SPFL fixtures 2022-23: Champions Celtic start against Aberdeen, Rangers visit Livingston

    Celtic will start their Scottish Premiership title defence at home to Aberdeen on Sunday, 31 July, with Livingston v Rangers launching the season the previous day at 12:00 BST.

    Promoted Kilmarnock return to the top flight by hosting Dundee United, with Lee Johnson’s league debut as Hibernian manager a trip to face St Johnstone.

    Hibs entertain Edinburgh rivals Hearts on the second weekend of the season.

    The first Old Firm derby is on 3 September with Rangers at Celtic Park.

    The Premiership has a five-week break for the World Cup after the 16th round of matches on 12 November and resumes on 17 December – the day before the final in Qatar. The lower leagues continue during the shutdown.

    Cove Rangers, having secured a third promotion in four years, play their first-ever Championship game when they welcome Raith Rovers on the opening weekend.

    Queen’s Park – back in the second tier for the first time since 1983 – begin away to Inverness Caledonian Thistle, while relegated Dundee face visitors Partick Thistle.

    In League 1, newcomers Kelty Hearts welcome fellow promotion winners, the rebranded Edinburgh FC, and Dunfermline Athletic begin their bid to bounce back from relegation at home to Alloa Athletic.

    Pyramid play-off winners Bonnyrigg Rose make their SPFL debut with a League 2 home match against Forfar Athletic.

    opening weekend

    Why is the World Cup causing a fixture headache?

    Given Scotland have not qualified for the Qatar showpiece in November and December, the upheaval might seem a touch unnecessary now, but the Premiership shutdown will remain in effect for a variety of logistical and commercial reasons.

    Chief among those is that the group stages of the European club competitions must be completed a month earlier than normal and that Celtic, Rangers and Hearts are all guaranteed to be involved.

    The latter will play on Thursday evenings, so must have six Premiership matches on Sundays. Fine. But what if their domestic opponents are one of the Old Firm, who might have a European engagement the following Tuesday? It’ll be the end of August before that is known – far too late to wait and see.

    “Having five teams in Europe is fantastic but presents additional fixturing challenges,” says SPFL company secretary Calum Beattie. “We’ve had to build that in, trying to avoid certain matches on certain weekends, which gets quite complicated.

    “We know they will play each other at some point so there’s no competition integrity issues – it just means you’ve got to bake that constraint into the recipe. But if you add more constraints, it throws up other things you don’t like…”

    Source: BBC