‘They are certainly not unbeatable’ – Poznan defender in bitter Rangers criticism after EL loss
Lech Poznan defender Tymoteusz Puchacz has said his side were unlucky to not get something out of their game against Rangers on Thursday.
The Gers won 1-0 against the Polish side as Alfredo Morelos came off the bench to head in his fourth goal of the season and end his goalscoring drought.
But, after the game, Puchacz claimed that Rangers weren’t as good as fellow Europa League group D side Benfica and said his side ‘should have drawn or even won’.
Speaking to the Scottish Sun, he said, “I knew right from the start of this game that one goal would be enough because there were hardly any clear chances. Even Rangers’ goal wasn’t a clear chance really.
“Rangers are not nearly as strong a team as Benfica or have their quality. They are certainly not unbeatable and in fact, we should have drawn or even won.
“Unfortunately, no one will remember how well we played and they will only look at the result. Rangers defended as a unit and after they scored, retreated completely and only played on the counter-attack.”
Benfica beat Poznan 4-2 when they played in their first Europa League group stage game last week and clearly the Portuguese side left a better impression on Puchacz than Rangers did.
There does seem to be a fair amount of bitterness laced in the Poznan defender’s comments, as while the scoreline doesn’t suggest there wasn’t much between the sides, Poznan spent the majority of the game defending.
The Polish side didn’t manage a shot on target as the home side carved out more chances than the visitors and really Rangers should have scored more. There weren’t many clear chances for the home side but what mattered is that they took their opportunity when it came.
The Gers take on Benfica in their next European outing and they will have to turn in a better performance if they are to beat the side who currently sit top of the Portuguese first division. Similarly to Rangers, Benfica are unbeaten in the league as they have won all five of their Primeira Liga games this term.
In other Rangers news, a Premier League club is ready to sell Rangers-linked midfielder in January according to reports.