Callum O'Connell

Thu 9 November 2023 22:02, UK

Rangers won all three points in their Europa League group stage clash with Sparta Prague at Ibrox with a 2-1 victory on Thursday 9 November.

Danilo put the hosts 1-0 up with a composed finish in the 12th minute, after robbing Prague defender James Gomez of the ball on the edge of the box before sliding the ball around the goalkeeper into the bottom corner.

Todd Cantwell then put the hosts two goals ahead with a well-taken finish and Rangers controlled the game until a late goal back caused problems. Sparta were able to pile the pressure on late in the game but the home side stood their ground and earned their victory.

Ibrox News has rated the players out of 10 below…

Jack Butland – 8

Was very rarely tested and there wasn’t too much he could have done about the goal, but as always he looked comfortable in possession and helped his side build out from the back under pressure. He made a big save to keep Rangers ahead in the 86th minute which typified how reliable he has been in a Rangers shirt.

Ultimately an assured performance yet again as he looks completely unflappable.

James Tavernier – 6

The captain didn’t hit the lofty heights he has in recent weeks with this performance, but he did everything required of him and dominated the winger on his side. Five successful ground duels, as well as three tackles and an interception, showed how solid he was defensively for Rangers tonight. [Sofascore]

Connor Goldson – 6

Much like his goalkeeper, Goldson didn’t have much to do in the game. He was confident in possession and assisted Tavernier in keeping the right-hand side of defence on lockdown with some strong defending and covering play at the back.

Seven clearances, six aerial duels won, an interception, and a tackle showed how solid he was yet again at the heart of the defence. [Sofascore]

Ben Davies – 7

Three clearances, three tackles, and a 100% duel success record summed up his impressive display. He could have been better on the ball as he lost possession seven times and had a passing accuracy of just 81%, but it was overall a strong performance from the defender.

Borna Barisic – 4

Barisic failed to provide enough of an overlapping threat around Abdallah Sima on the left-hand side, and when he did overlap, his end product was typically poor. A 0% cross success rate, losing the ball ten times and just a 45% duel success rate show how he struggled. [Sofascore]

He also earned a silly booking for dissent after fouling the Sparta defender on the edge of the opponent’s box and put himself on an unnecessary knife edge for the last half hour and arguably could have been sent off after a bad foul.

Sparta pulled their goal back down his side as he was nowhere near the winger to prevent the ball from being pulled across, which summed up yet another poor display.

Ryan Jack – 6

This was a more advanced game than we’ve often seen from Jack. He often popped up on the edge of the opposition’s box and managed to work the goalkeeper. Perhaps a more creative and forward-thinking role could be on the cards under Philippe Clement.

John Lundstram – 5

Lundstram was a steady presence in the midfield alongside his regular partner Jack.

He did all he usually does, broke up play and provided a stable base for the more creative players in the squad to do their thing, but was sloppy at times and didn’t see as much of the ball as you’d expect from a midfielder, with just 18 passes completed in the game. [Sofascore]

Todd Cantwell – 9

Cantwell put on somewhat of a creative masterclass from midfield against Sparta. He looked elegant and graceful in possession, timed his passes brilliantly and his goal was incredibly well-taken.

The midfielder had 100% pass accuracy in the game, including making one key pass, had three shots on target of his four attempted, and drew four fouls with his silky dribbling and ability to draw bites from his opponents. [Sofascore]

Sam Lammers – 6

It was an up-and-down performance from Lammers, but a better one than we have seen from him for large parts of the season so far, and he certainly looks more positive under Philippe Clement than he did under Michael Beale.

His movement and pass for the second goal of the night were impressive and earned high praise from Ally McCoist, but he also went missing for periods and struggled to make the type of impact he might have hoped for tonight.

Abdallah Sima – 7

His pace was a constant threat yet again, but he struggled to link up with either Borna Barisic or Sam Lammers consistently enough to do any real damage. He was, however, able to stretch the backline regularly with his movement and on another day could even have scored.

Danilo – 9

Almost certainly Rangers’ man of the match, although he was closely run by Cantwell’s impressive display. If not for his well-taken goal and the constant threat he brings to the side, the sheer upgrade on the other forward options seen at Ibrox so far this season makes him look like Ronaldo.

A goal and an assist to his name, combined with six duels won, four tackles, two interceptions, a clearance and even a blocked shot illustrated just how hard he worked for the side, and exactly what he offers up front.

The hold-up play, pressure on the opposition defenders, and quality in possession he showed in the game should be enough to seal his place as the first-choice number nine for the rest of the season.

Substitutes

Ross McCausland – 7

Cyriel Dessers – 5

Tom Lawrence – 6

In other Rangers news, an image has emerged of one staff member who turned down Rangers.