Rangers vs FC Steaua Bucuresti. UEFA Europa League.
Ibrox StadiumAttendance41,191.
Match report as Rangers ease to victory over FCSB in Europa League; Tom Lawrence nets early opener after FCSB have goal controversially ruled out; Vaclav Cerny scores second and then a third after half-time; Lawrence off injured at interval; Hamza Igamane bags his first Rangers goal
Friday 25 October 2024 06:26, UK
Rangers eased the pressure on manager Philippe Clement with a convincing 4-0 victory over FCSB in the Europa League.
Clement came under fire after the Gers' shock 1-0 defeat at Kilmarnock on Sunday which has left them six points behind Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic and Aberdeen.
There was an early reprieve when the Romanian side, formerly known as Steaua Bucharest, scored in only the second minute after David Miculescu had stolen the ball off Jack Butland, who was lucky to be awarded a free-kick.
However, midfielder Tom Lawrence, who came off at half-time due to injury, scuffed a shot in off the right post from inside the box in the 10th minute and wide man Vaclav Cerny curled in a wonderful second just after the half-hour mark before adding a third early in the second half.
Second-half substitute Hamza Igamane scored his first goal for Rangers since signing in the summer from Moroccan side AS FAR to add gloss to the scoreline against an unimpressive opponent, who had won their first two matches in Europe.
Rangers have moved on to six points from nine in the new-look Europa League and will feel in much better fettle welcoming St Mirren on Sunday, although there remains room for improvement.
Sky Sports' Kris Boyd:
"It was everything that they didn't do on Sunday against Kilmarnock. The energy levels were excellent, they got after them, stopped them playing and closed them down. That's the stuff that should be a given.
"It's a night that a lot of Rangers fans won't forget because it was a very comfortable performance against a team that have been unbeaten in five. They've won their opening two games in the Europa League so it was potentially a tricky tie for Rangers considering the performances that they've had recently.
"Philippe Clement needed the result but he got a performance with it tonight as well which always helps."
Rangers manager Philippe Clement told TNT Sports:
"Some of my players had a really good reaction after the disappointment from this weekend and somebody told me it's more than 20 years ago that Rangers scored four goals in a group stage match.
"This is a squad with a lot of potential for the future. It's about working hard, making them better, creating a squad that knows in every situation what to do together and that's still a work in progress. I saw a lot of things today that we still can do better, but it shows already the potential."
On whether it was a surprise Cyriel Dessers came off and went straight down the tunnel: "Yeah, totally, and he apologised for that because he was so emotional. He was hungry to score, hungry to play well for the team. He got a knock on his eyes and he lost his eyesight, so he could not see anything any more or not enough any more to play.
"It was emotional that moment because he didn't want to come off, but he could not play. Afterwards he said sorry, I should have stayed longer and sat down. But it was an emotional reaction of a player who's very hungry to play."
On injuries: "We will see the next couple of days [with Dessers]. Tom Lawrence also got a bad knock. So we need to see the next couple of days what the verdict is about that. Leon Balogun cramped, so I don't think it's a big issue."
