RANGERS came from behind and then let their lead slip as they had to settle for a point against Feyenoord. Two goals from Alfredo Morelos weren’t enough for victory as Jens Toornstra and Luis Sinisterra earned Dick Advocaat’s side a draw in Rotterdam.
There were positives for boss Steven Gerrard to take, though, and Group G will go down to the wire as Rangers bid for a place in the knockout stages.
RANGERS’ DESTINY IS IN THEIR OWN HANDS
If you had said to Gerrard before the opening match of the season in Gibraltar that his side would only need a point at home to reach the last 32, he would certainly have taken it.
It has been a rollercoaster European campaign for Rangers but a knockout berth is within their grasps and they head into matchday six top of Group G.
For long spells here, it looked like the Gers would qualify with 90 minutes to spare but Porto’s comeback win in Bern leaves the section wide open ahead of a potentially thrilling, and almost certainly nail-biting, showdown with Young Boys in a fortnight.
A draw is all that Rangers need. It is a result they are more than capable of achieving and Gerrard now has his sights set on another hugely impressive achievement as boss.
READ MORE: Steven Gerrard confident Rangers' character will shine through over crucial run of fixtures
A GAME OF TWO HALVES
The starting line-up was probably the strongest that Gerrard can field but too many of those trusted with a jersey failed to hit the heights expected of them. The result was commendable but the showing could, and should, have been better.
Rangers were too passive in the first half and would have been thankful to return to the dressing room just the one goal behind. It could easily have been more as Feyenoord looked more assured on the ball and more aggressive off it.
Improvements were forthcoming after the interval and Rangers were a more cohesive unit as individuals raised their levels and Gerrard’s side came from behind to lead.
But the Gers will have feelings of what might have been here. A good night could have been a great one as an away win eluded Gerrard once again.
MORELOS PROVES HE IS PRICELESS FOR RANGERS
Dave King wouldn’t cash in for £40million. Gerrard wouldn’t be tempted even if you put another £10million on top of it. Right now, Morelos is priceless.
The goals that Morelos scores in Scotland could prove the difference between success and failure for Gerrard’s side. The goals he scores in Europe mean he will attract a new legion of admirers away from Ibrox.
The header that made it 1-1, after lovely work from Steven Davis and Ryan Kent, was Morelos’ 12th strike on the continent this term. After a frustrating first half, it was clinical from the Colombian.
And the one that gave Rangers the lead was just as impressive. From a Barisic cross, Morelos got between his markers and rose above them both to glance the ball into the top corner.
Scoring against the likes of Legia, Young Boys, Porto and now Feyenoord proves that Morelos is capable of operating at a higher level than the Premiership. If there were any doubters amongst his suitors at the start of the season, he has surely won them over with a series of outstanding showings in Group G.
READ MORE: Graeme McGarry: Who will leave the greater legacy at their club, Dave King or Peter Lawwell?
MCGREGOR SHOWS HIS CLASS ONCE AGAIN
There have been moments throughout this European campaign that have largely been forgotten in the grand scheme of things but McGregor’s contribution to the cause cannot be downplayed. At big moments, he has produced big saves and allowed Rangers to get into the position that they are in.
The 37-year-old made his 70th European appearance in Light Blue here and he could well go on to overtake former team-mate Barry Ferguson, who leads the illustrious list with 82. In this form, McGregor shows no signs of slowing down.
A brilliant reaction stop from Fer denied Feyenoord an early lead, while a block with his leg ensured Berghuis didn’t double their advantage. He was beaten by Toornstra and Sinisterra but could do nothing about either strike.
FEYENOORD GOALS WILL FRUSTRATE
There was a degree of good fortune in the goal that saw Toornstra open the scoring as a fairly innocuous effort flicked off Filip Helander and outwith McGregor’s reach. But the build-up was sloppy and slack from Rangers as Borna Barisic failed to clear his lines and Glen Kamara got caught ball watching.
For the second, James Tavernier was posted missing as the ball was played down the Gers right and Connor Goldson and Helander failed to deal with Sinisterra. The finish was cute, but the defending was fairly abject.
Gerrard will analyse both goals but there were a handful of promising attacks for the hosts that came from moments of slackness. Those errors have to be cut out going forward.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel