Steven Gerrard raves about Rangers duo after 1-1 v Brondby
Rangers managed a frustrating 1-1 draw against Brondby in the Europa League clash on Thursday night.
Steven Gerrard’s side won against Brondby in their previous meeting at Ibrox, and he was left disappointed in the end that the Gers failed to pick up maximum points from this game.
Rangers were very poor in the first half and allowed the Danes to take the lead right on half-time as Leon Balogun headed into his own net.
In the second half, the performance improved. Substitute Ianis Hagi scored in the second half to earn a precious point for the Gers as they go level with second-placed Sparta Prague in Europa League Group A.
Gerrard has hailed Hagi’s goal as “fantastic”. He has also hailed Ryan Kent as “superb”, adding he is hard to stop when he’s in the mood.
Gerrard said, as quoted by the Scottish Sun: “It was a fantastic goal.
“I thought Ianis and Ryan Kent were superb in the time they were on the pitch.
“It’s great to have Ryan back and I think he’ll give everyone a boost, not just in the dressing room.
“The supporters will know when he’s at it, and in that form, that he’s so hard to stop.”
Equation
Although the likes of Alfredo Morelos and Fashion Sakala came close to scoring for the visitors, the overall quality was missing from the Gers.
Gerrard made it very clear after the game that he was left disappointed with his front three, and expected a lot more from them.
The substitutions made a big difference, with Kent returning to action after a six-week injury lay-off. Brondby offered little in attack and they began to deeper and deeper as the game progressed, but despite creating a host of chances, Rangers could secure the much needed three points.
As it stands, Rangers and Sparta, who face each other in the next round, are on four points Lyon have an eight-point advantage over them and they are assured of a last 16 place.
Rangers, if they finish second, will to the preliminary knock round with eight teams dropping down from the Champions League. The third-placed team will seal a Europa Conference League knockout place, so there’s plenty to play for.
In other Rangers news, Kris Boyd has destroyed one Bears star this week over an embarrassing stat from this season