Rangers put in a hugely impressive Europa League showing to overcome Malmo and make history in Sweden.
The 2-0 win over the Allsvenskan champions is the first time in Rangers history that the famous old Ibrox club have won a match in Sweden.
The result means the Gers kick off a challenging Europa League campaign with an opening day victory ahead of two home ties against Lyon of France and then FCSB of Romania.
But there is another reward in store for Rangers who have received an automatic win bonus from UEFA for overcoming a big-mouthed Malmo in their own back yard.
Rangers bank UEFA win bonus for Malmo win
Rangers impressed in Sweden as the Gers recorded a 2-0 going on 5-0 victory in against Malmo on Europa League duties.
Nedim Bajrami got the Gers off to a dream start on his European debut, tapping the ball into an empty net after Cyriel Dessers had somehow hit the post in the first minute.
The Gers then spurned a whole host of first-half opportunities – Vaclav Cerny the biggest culprit – before surviving an initial second-half onslaught from the Swedes.
But Ross McCausland chested a loose ball down and toe poked it home for a deserved second before the Gers proceeded to miss another hatful of chances.
The result gives Rangers the brightest possible start to this season’s Europa League campaign but it will also bank the Bears a further €450k (£375k) in prize money.
It’s an amount not to be sniffed at and will add to the €4.31m (£3.6m) the Gers automatically bank through qualification for this season’s competition.
Rangers get off to perfect Europa League start
Whilst Rangers attentions will quickly shift to the Scottish Premiership clash with Hibs, this Europa League win over Malmo is a cause for celebration.
As Philippe Clement tries to get his new-look squad to gel, big wins on big stages such as this can only add confidence to a relatively young group.
Rangers have also broken the Malmo hoodoo which hung over the club heading into the game, the Gers having lost two sets of Champions League qualifiers against the Swedes in 2011 and 2021.
Rangers now prepare to host Lyon at Ibrox with a home tie against FCSB offering the opportunity for the club to build momentum heading into the final five games of the eight-game stage.
With Rangers then heading to Olympiakos and Nice, the club could be in a very nice position before the visit of Tottenham Hotspur in mid-December.
The Gers will then finish the revamped league phase with a trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United and a home clash against familiar Belgian side USG.
