Rangers entertained Bayer 04 Leverkusen at the Ibrox Stadium earlier tonight hoping to pick up a result in the first-leg of their UEFA Europa League last 16 tie. The home side were completely outplayed in the first half and got undone in the 37th minute when Kai Havertz scored for the German outfit from the penalty spot.
The Bundesliga side went on to double their lead in the 67th minute via Charles Aranguiz’s goal. However, George Edmundson pulled a goal back just eight minutes later to keep the Gers in the contest.
Leon Bailey came off the bench to score in the 88th minute which made qualification all but secure for Leverkusen. The match ended with Peter Bosz’s side securing a dominant 3-1 first-leg win over the Glaswegian outfit.
Let’s take a look at how each Rangers player fared during the match against Leverkusen.
GK: Allan McGregor – 5/10
The Rangers keeper made a brilliant stop late in the game, but he won’t be happy after conceding three goals tonight.
RB: James Tavernier – 6.5/10
The English full-back was a constant threat for the opposition down the right flank, but he could have done better with his clearance in the lead-up to Aranguiz’s goal after the hour mark. He created some decent chances for his teammates going forward and has an assist to show for his efforts after he set-up Edmundson’s goal from a corner in the second half.
CB: Connor Goldson – 6/10
He made an important early block and was a decent aerial threat from set-pieces. However, it was overall a disappointing display from him tonight.
CB: George Edmundson – 6/10
The English centre-back was responsible for conceding a penalty which Havertz successfully converted in the first half. However, he managed to get a goal back for Rangers in the second half when he scored after being left completely unmarked inside the Leverkusen penalty box.
LB: Borna Barisic – 6/10
Barisic tried to get forward but lacked quality with his final delivery. Barisic went close to scoring in the second half when his curled attempt saw the ball graze the side netting.
CM: Scott Arfield – 6/10
He struggled to control the midfield but never gave up when faced with adversity and covered a lot of ground to contest for every loose possession. Arfield got cautioned late in the game after a poor challenge on Havertz.
CM: Steven Davis – 4/10
Davis was guilty of throwing away possession quite a few times during the game and failed to create anything meaningful going forward.
CM: Glen Kamara – 6/10
He tried to provide adequate protection for the backline and worked hard to press the opposition during his time on the field. He ran out of gas after the half-time break and got substituted.
RW: Joe Aribo – 5/10
The Nigerian offered very little in the first half and had to go off with an injury early in the second.
ST: Alfredo Morelos – 5/10
The Gers forward struggled to get himself involved in the game and was responsible for squandering a couple of decent goal-scoring opportunities tonight. He will be hoping for better nights in a Rangers shirt.
LW: Ryan Kent – 6/10
The ex-Liverpool winger tried his best to influence the game but to no great effect. He was a bit better after being shifted to the right-wing but didn’t show enough of himself to warrant a goal.
Substitutes:
ST: Florian Kamberi – 6.5/10
He added some freshness to the Gers attack and caused some problems for the opposition after coming on to replace Aribo.
CAM: Ianis Hagi – 6/10
He was largely ineffective after coming off the bench for the final 20 minutes.
RB: Matt Polster – N/A
He did not have enough time to make an impact.
