Lech Poznan star Tymoteusz Puchacz has slammed Rangers’ style of play following his side’s 1-0 Europa League defeat at Ibrox, as quoted by the Scottish Sun.
The Poland U21 international played the full 90 minutes of the Group D clash on Thursday night and came out on the losing side.
Rangers weren’t at their best but they did enough to maintain their perfect start to the competition, with a 68th-minute Alfredo Morelos header from an excellent Borna Barisic cross, securing all three points.
Puchacz clearly didn’t feel the Gers deserved much credit for their performance, though, and instead, he complained about how the hosts approached the match.
“I knew right from the start of this game that one goal would be enough because there were hardly any clear chances,” he said, as quoted by the Scottish Sun. “Even Rangers’ goal wasn’t a clear chance really.”
“Rangers are not nearly as strong a team as Benfica or have their quality. They are certainly not unbeatable and in fact, we should have drawn or even won.
“Unfortunately, no one will remember how well we played and they will only look at the result. Rangers defended as a unit and after they scored, retreated completely and only played on the counter-attack.”
Lech Poznan star slams Rangers following Europa League clash – Verdict
Puchacz clearly wasn’t happy that his team left Glasgow empty-handed but his bizarre comments are wide of the mark.
Rangers weren’t at their free-flowing best in the game, but they still created more than the visitors, getting off 13 shots to Poznan’s 10. It’s difficult to see why Morelos’ goal – a header from six yards – hasn’t met the Poland U21 star’s criteria for a clear chance, either.
The Gers also shaded the possession stats and given that Poznan failed to force Allan McGregor into a save, it’s hard to see how they could have won the game.
As for whether or not Rangers are at the same level as Benfica, time will tell.
However, given that Steven Gerrard’s men defeated Porto and Braga last season – who finished either side of the Lisbon club in the league table – the upcoming doubleheader is likely to be closely fought.