Rangers progress despite poor performance in Czech Republic
Viktoria Plzeň 2 - 1 Rangers (Rangers won 4-2 on aggregate)
Rangers reached the Champions League play-off stage after surviving a testing night against Viktoria Plzen
Author | Mark Lee
Stadium | Doosan Aréna
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| Post match in Plzen |
Lyall Cameron’s second-half equaliser proved the key moment for Russell Martin’s side, who fell behind early and later conceded again during a fraught evening in which Plzen squandered a host of opportunities.
Having overcome a tough test against Panathinaikos in the previous round, Rangers’ three-goal advantage from the first leg always looked sufficient to see them through. Yet against opponents seemingly a step down in quality from the Greeks, this encounter turned out to be a far greater challenge than anticipated.
One Rangers fan told us: "It's better to be lucky than good."
They'll almost certainly require a combination of the two if they are to progress to the lucrative League Phase of the Champions League and potentially bring in additions to their squad.
A closer look at what happened
Quality was in short supply during a scrappy opening half-hour, with the onus firmly on the hosts to take the initiative. Eventually, they stirred.
Lukas Cerv drew a sharp save from Jack Butland and Prince Adu shrugged off James Tavernier before flashing a shot wide, yet Rangers failed to take note.
READ MORE | Rangers poor start to the league season continues
A loose pass from Jefte allowed Plzen to pounce, Amar Memic sweeping the ball across goal for Rafiu Durosinmi to drive home shortly before the interval.
Plzen continued to press after the break, but Rangers knew that one goal would all but settle the tie. It came at an opportune moment. John Souttar picked out Mohamed Diomande, whose cut-back found Danilo. His mishit shot fell kindly for Lyall Cameron, who calmly slotted in the equaliser.
The tension ratcheted up as the half wore on. Butland produced an outstanding save from Adu and then denied Milan Havel’s close-range header. He was helpless when Svetozar Markovic rose unmarked to nod in late on, although it proved no more than a consolation.
Rangers and Russell Martin had the result they needed, though far less comfortably than expected. A sharper performance will be required against Club Brugge next week.
