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Rangers progress despite poor performance in Czech Republic

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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 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 i...

UEL: Hearts miss out on commendable draw

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Viktoria Plzeň 1 - 0 Hearts After overcoming a shaky start and edging towards a commendable goalless draw in the Czech Republic, Hearts' hopes were dashed when Daniel Oyegoke accidentally turned a late cross into his own net. Plzen's Cadu delivered a dangerous ball into the box, which caught Oyegoke off guard. The Hearts defender could only watch in dismay as the ball struck his thigh and sailed into the corner of the net. It was a bitterly frustrating conclusion, especially as Hearts had grown into the match, standing toe-to-toe with their more seasoned Czech opponents , who were competing in Europe for the 15th consecutive season. Lawrence Shankland came close with two shots from the edge of the box just before half-time, and Kenneth Vargas missed two opportunities when a cooler head was needed. However, solid goalkeeping and resilient defending kept Hearts in the game and nearly secured them a vital draw. UEFA Europa League and Conference League (eurosuperfootball.blogsp...

Rangers take huge step towards Champions League play-offs

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Rangers 3-0 Viktoria Plzen Rangers took a huge towards progression to the Champions League play-offs after a comfortable win over Viktoria Plzen. Name | Mark Lee Stadium | Ibrox A closer look at what happened  There were a few surprised looks when captain James Tavernier and Nicolas Raskin were among four players left out for this tie. Cyriel Dessers was handed his first start of the season and played a key role in setting up summer arrival Djeidi Gassama to open the scoring, the forward continuing his fine run of form in Europe. New signing Oliver Antman, who joined only on Tuesday, slotted seamlessly into the attack alongside Dessers and Gassama. The trio showed a fluidity that had been lacking, with Gassama linking superbly with his new team-mate before Antman was brought down in the box by Matej Vydra. READ MORE | Champions League match reports from the 2025/2026 season Dessers stepped up to convert the penalty just before half-time, and the lead was extended early in the s...

United fight back to win at Viktoria Plzen

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Viktoria Plzeň 1 - 2 Manchester United Rasmus Højlund came off the bench to score twice as Manchester United overturned a deficit to secure a crucial Europa League victory against Viktoria Plzeň. Author - Olivia T Højlund, now with five goals in this season’s Europa League, sparked United’s second-half comeback with an impressive display after being introduced from the bench. The 21-year-old forward equalised following some clever link-up play between Antony and Amad Diallo. He reacted quickest to poke the ball home from close range after Diallo’s initial shot was blocked. Moments later, the Danish international struck again, latching onto Bruno Fernandes’ perfectly weighted pass before drilling a low shot into the bottom-right corner. UEFA Europa League and Conference League: 24/25 Click here for more Manchester United news and stories Højlund’s heroics spared further embarrassment for goalkeeper André Onana, who was at fault for the opening goal. For the second game running, ...

Five managers in four years | Why do Rangers keep getting it wrong?

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Another season. Another sacking of a Rangers manager. Why do they keep getting it wrong and how can they avoid making same mistakes again? Author | Mark Lee With champagne dripping from his hair and a 2020-21 Scottish Premiership winner's medal around his neck, then manager Steven Gerrard urged Rangers to "fix the roof while the sun is shining". Four years on, the roof remains in disrepair and the sunshine has long faded. Since that title triumph, Rangers have gone through four managers: Gerrard, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Michael Beale and Philippe Clement, before reaching Martin. Under Van Bronckhorst, the club came agonisingly close to European glory, losing the Europa League final on penalties before lifting the Scottish Cup days later. He departed with Rangers nine points adrift of Celtic the following season. Beale and Clement both started brightly but their tenures quickly unravelled. Beale was dismissed with Rangers seven points behind Celtic; Clement’s side we...

Rangers progress after draw in Athens

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Panathinaikos 1 - 1 Rangers (Rangers won 3-1 on aggregate) Not the best performance for Rangers but they got the job done Author | Alan White Stadium | Olympiako Stadio Spyros Louis Rangers are now guaranteed Europa League football and will face Viktoria Plzen of the Czech Republic in a third round Champions League qualifier. A closer look at what happened in Athens As was the case during the first half at Ibrox, Rangers looked exposed and were fortunate to survive a barrage of Panathinaikos pressure in a charged Athens atmosphere. Anastasios Bakasetas set the tone with an early effort from the edge of the area, narrowly missing the target. What followed was a sustained spell of dominance from the hosts. Jack Butland, outstanding throughout, produced a sharp save to deny Fotis Ioannidis at his near post, before stopping a powerful close-range header from the same player. READ MORE | Who's excited for another Champions League season? READ MORE | News from across Scotland on Supe...

UCL: Inter qualify as Barca face Europa League after Christmas

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Inter Milan are through, Barcelona will be playing in the Europa League after Christmas Inter Milan 4-0 Viktoria Plzen In the match itself, substitute Romelu Lukaku marked his return from injury with a late goal as Inter comfortably secured the win that sent them to the last 16.  Edin Dzeko also scored twice after Henrikh Mkhitaryan's opener in the 4-0 win. Dzeko was given a standing ovation when he went off but there was even more of a resounding reaction shortly afterwards, when Lukaku was brought on with seven minutes remaining. You can watch the highlights of Inter's domination in the video below. Footage from  BT Sport - YouTube Barcelona 0 - 3 Bayern Munich  That result for Inter meant Barcelona knew their fate before they kicked a ball, but they still had tbe daunting prospect of a match against Bayern Munich. On the pitch, Mané, Choupo-Moting and Pavard scored for Bayern Munich to give them a comfortable win.  The Barca boss told the media: "This is ...