Rangers travelled to the home of Porto to take on the Portuguese heavyweights in their third Europa League group game. They came away with a well-deserved point as they produced a steady and tidy performance against a seasoned European opponent.
Rangers held their shape well for the first half-hour as Porto had more of the possession, but the away side were comfortable. Porto came close to scoring as they hit the bar from a cross as Rangers’ defence was caught flat-footed. A poor pass from Jack allowed Diaz to unleash an unstoppable shot from outside of the box, which gave the home team a lead. Rangers came close to equalising soon as Morelos’ header hit the bar.
The Colombian didn’t have to wait long for his next chance as Barisic provided a delicious low cross from the left and the striker finished well to get his side level. The Croatian set Morelos up again early in the second half with another delightful cross, but Morelos’ effort was saved. Porto had some good chances in the end, but one would say a draw was a fair result in the end.
Here is how Gerrard’s men fared.
Allan McGregor 7.5
Wasn’t called into action much until late on in the game where he made two terrific double saves. Was decent with his feet.
Filip Helander 9
A colossus performance from the Swedish defender as he marshalled Marega well throughout the game. Made some crucial blocks and interceptions and read the dangers well.
Connor Goldson 6.5
Was caught flat-footed once while dealing with a cross. Apart from one or two moments, Goldson was steady at the back.
Borna Barisic 8
Was a constant threat while going forward and produced two world-class crosses from the left. One lead to a goal. Defensively, he did his job after getting booked early on.
James Tavernier 6
Has come under a lot of criticism of late but he did alright today. Was sloppy once or twice but apart from that was assured in defence. Wasn’t able to affect the game much while going forward.
Steven Davis 6.5
Usually, in the Premiership, he affects the game with his passing range, but Davis had to be at his best today defensively. Shielded the back four well and worked hard defensively.
Ryan Jack 6
Will have to take the blame for the first goal as he misplaced a pass in a dangerous area. However, apart from that moment, Jack did his job well as he kept things tight and played some delightful football.
Glen Kamara 7
Got tired as the game went on, but his touches and passing were impressive for the most part.
Brandon Barker 5
Wasn’t able to get much into the game. Worked hard overall.
Ryan Kent 7
Made one lung-bursting run early on from deep but fluffed his line in the final third. His touches and willingness to take defenders on were impressive. Looked sharp but Rangers weren’t able to get him into the game much.
Alfredo Morelos 7.5
Hit the bar through a header in the first half. Soon got another chance which he buried with confidence. Stretched the play like always as he went on the flanks and dropped deep to get on the ball. Got one chance in the second half which he could have scored from.
Substitutes
Joe Aribo 5
Provided a fresh pair of legs on the pitch.
Scott Arfield N/A
Didn’t play enough to warrant a rating.
Sheyi Ojo N/A
Didn’t play enough to warrant a rating.
