‘Dowell set for Ibrox exit’ – Three things learned from Rangers v Viktoria Plzen
Rangers have one foot in the Champions League play-offs after beating Viktoria Plzen 3-0 on Tuesday night at Ibrox.
Russell Martin made a number of changes to the side that drew against Motherwell on the weekend and the players responded to it.
Djeidi Gassama scored in each half while Cyriel Dessers slotted home a penalty on the stroke of half-time for the hosts.
Here are three things Ibrox News learned from the game:
Kieran Dowell may not have a future at Rangers
Kieran Dowell has been continually picked by Martin and dropping him from the Rangers line-up proved to be the right decision.
A midfield three of Joe Rothwell, Mohamed Diomande and Lyall Cameron gave the side much-needed balance to control proceedings.
| Metric | Rangers | Viktoria Plzen |
| Total Attempts | 11 | 16 |
| Corners Taken | 2 | 5 |
| Offsides | 1 | 1 |
| Yellow Cards | 2 | 1 |
| Red Cards | 0 | 0 |
While Nico Raskin is expected to earn his way back into the team, the same cannot be said about Dowell.
The 27-year-old wasn’t brought off the bench either, unlike Raskin and Connor Barron and in case a decent offer arrives for him, the Ibrox outfit may look to sell him this summer as he’s just not good enough to play for a side competing for the SPFL title and in Europe.
Djeidi Gassama is unstoppable
Gassama moved to Ibrox as a relative unknown but has already won fans over.
His introduction to the club was scoring a fantastic goal, but he did it again on the European stage, finding the back of the net twice.
He even formed a stellar partnership with Oliver Antman and the duo could wreak havoc this season if they continue to sing from the same hymn sheet.
Given how quickly the Mauritanian has adapted, it’s fair to give Kevin Thelwell his flowers for making this transfer happen.
Oliver Antman appears to be a shrewd signing
Martin decided to give Antman his debut, starting him on the right flank, and he surely seems the part.
The Gers boss rightly brought him before the full-time whistle to ensure the crowd serenaded what was an exceptional performance.
Of course, he is going to have tougher opponents to face, but as for debuts, it was as good as it gets.
While Gassama was named the Man of the Match, the 23-year-old Finland international put in an equally noteworthy performance in the final third and also registered an assist.
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