Rangers FC won the first leg of the Europa League qualifiers against NK Osijek in Croatia meaning the Light Blues will have the upper hand when they welcome Osijek at Ibrox next week.
The performance wasn’t really what Steven Gerrard would have wanted but the manager will be happy that his team got the job down and he was able to board the plane with that all important away goal.
Striker Alfredo Morelos who started the game upfront despite having to dull performances in the first leg was the hero of the match as he scored the only goal in the 18th minute.
After the goal though, the Gers failed to increase their lead and were mostly busy defending that lead.
Here’s how Steven Gerrard’s players faired during the match against Osijek:
Allan McGregor – 7.5/10
Was solid in his area and had to make a crucial intervention after Jon Flanagan fluffed his lines.
James Tavernier – 6.5/10
His delivery was a key factor in Alfredo Morelos’ goal but failed to deliver any spark after that.
Connor Goldson – 8/10
The man of the match for many, as he stood firm in defence and broke down a number of potential moves.
Nikola Katic – 7/10
Had a good partnership with Connor Goldson in central defence.
Jon Flanagan – 6/10
Made one big mistake in the first half and also did not provide any spark going up front.
Ryan Jack – 7.5/10
Almost a flawless performance by the defensive midfielder and he will definitely be a mainstay in Gerrard’s first eleven during the 2018-19 season.
Lassana Coulibaly – 5/10
Had an average performance but considering the fact that this was his debut we can forgive him.
Ryan Kent – 6.5/10
Tried had but failed to cause any major problem to Osijek’s full-back Loncar.
Jamie Murphy – 5/10
Failed to provide anything in attack but did his defensive work nicely mainly in the second half.
Ovie Ejaria – 6.5/10
Tidy in possession but played his normal game.
Alfredo Morelos – 9/10
Scored the only goal of the game and put in a fantastic shift – running all over the pitch.
Substitutes:
Josh Windass – 4/10
Came one for Murphy with around 20 minutes left on the clock and helped out the Gers in defence.
Ross McCrorie – 4/10
Like Windass also helped in keeping the clean sheet since he came on.
Glenn Middleton – N/A
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