Ibrox View: Rangers player ratings in Europa League showdown v Braga
Rangers went flying into the Europa League semi-finals this evening with a huge win over Braga at Ibrox, but it wasn’t without drama.
The Bears were cruising from minute one with James Tavernier opening the scoring before his penalty looked to have made sure of things.
Braga had other plans initially though, with a last-gasp equaliser on aggregate coming from a corner leading to extra time where Kemar Roofe scored the winner.
Ibrox News rated the players out of 10 below…
Allan McGregor – 6
We simply can’t give the veteran anymore, he had nothing to do for the entire 90 minutes, and he couldn’t have done anything for the one goal conceded.
James Tavernier – 9
Is there anything this man cannot do? The skipper once again stepped up on a huge occasion and put his name in the spotlight for all of the right reasons – it’s hard to think of another right-back who can do what he can on the big stage.
Connor Goldson – 3
It had looked much more solid. After not putting a foot wrong for most of the evening, he was criminal in defence when losing his man who headed home to make things nervous.
Calvin Bassey – 6
The Nigerian was used centrally again and looked uncomfortable at some stages when in possession, but he made up for it with some big interceptions and he busts forward. Coming of age.
Borna Barisic – 9
This is the Croatian that we all remember, and he was back to his best on the biggest stage of them all in Europe. We demand more of this between now and the end of the season, starting against Celtic this weekend at Hampden.
Ryan Jack – 6
A solid night’s work yet again for the midfield enforcer. Jack doesn’t make the headlines but he puts in the hard yards that go unnoticed. It would have been a much higher mark if he had been better in possession, that needs work.
John Lundstram – 7
If Jack’s distribution let him down, his partner certainly made up for it. Lundstram has that ability to send a huge diagonal that turns teams around, and he did it numerous times this evening – what a signing this is finally turning into.
Joe Aribo – 8
Foul magnet. The Nigerian international was simply toying with the Braga midfield and defence, and they couldn’t handle him, leading to so many fouls. The only thing missing was the final touch, but he did everything else – is he back? We hope so.
Ryan Kent – 7
Kent was a constant thorn down the left, but he was much quieter in the second half compared to the first. The winger has often dragged us through games in Europe and domestically, so seeing those around him step up too was brilliant.
Aaron Ramsey – 5
The skill is clearly there, but we need that final touch and when it comes, it will be magic. Ramsey has hardly played in recent years, so the more he plays, the better he will get, and that is a big warning to those who we are yet to play.
Kemar Roofe – 10
Man of the Match. The Rangers man was everywhere this evening, and we actually forgot about Alfredo Morelos at times watching him. Not only were his runs dangerous, but his work off the ball was even better and he didn’t give the Braga defence one moment of peace. Extra time saw him finally get the goal that he so thoroughly deserved.
In other Rangers news, Michael Stewart has shared his reaction to a “huge” development at Ibrox to come in April