To quote Cyriel Dessers, Rangers not only set themselves up for a place in the quarter-finals of the Europa League, they also kept Fenerbahce’s ‘world-class’ attackers pretty quiet.
Rangers may have needed a ‘fantastic’ Jack Butland to rediscover the form of 2023/24 as Fenerbahce looked to turn the screw late on but, still, the result was as commanding as the eventual 3-1 scoreline suggests.
Barring a stunning acrobatic volley from Alexander Djiku – just about the most unlikely goalscorer in Jose Mourinho’s team – the evergreen Edin Dzeko and the £19 million two-time Europa League winner Youssef En-Nesyri barely had a kick of note in the penalty area.
The wonderful Dusan Tadic called the defeat ‘unexpected’ but it certainly wasn’t undeserved.
John Souttar was colossal upon his return to the team. Between them, Souttar and Leon Balogun completed 26 clearances. Balogun only entered the fray half an hour in, by the way, following Robin Propper’s early departure.
Now, these are the standards Rangers expect from their centre-backs. Standards the current crop of defenders at Ibrox – yes, we are looking at you Robin – have too often fallen short of this term.
Rangers linked Richard King prepares for Lionel Messi test
So presuming Rangers firm up their alleged interest in Jamaica international Richard King over the summer, the Ibrox-linked powerhouse would do his chances of a move to Europe no harm at all if he is to come out on top against Luis Suarez and the great Lionel Messi as his Cavaliers FC side face Inter Miami in the CONCACAF Champions Cup next week.
“It is a big game, and it will be the biggest game of my career,” King beams. “So I am just going into it with a positive mindset and doing my best for the team.
“I know there will be a lot of pressure on my shoulders as the captain to lead this team on the field but I am not worried about it. It’s just about going there, following the coach’s instructions, sticking to the game plan, and executing it as best as we can.”
Former Liverpool, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona hitman Suarez scored as Inter Miami defeated Cavalier 2-0 in the first leg last time out. King and co are most certainly up against it, then.
The Cavaliers captain is a pretty nifty set-piece taker, though. Messi will not be the only dead-ball threat on display.
Rangers News have been informed, meanwhile, that FC Cavalier will demand just £1 million from Rangers if King emerges as a genuine option to join Souttar and co at Ibrox.
King can prove himself against Inter Miami’s superstars
“We are going into it together as a team, and we are going to work hard and fight hard,” King adds. “Once we do that, I am confident that we can come away with a positive result.
“I don’t have any individual plans to mark any of their top players — it’s just about going out there and doing what the coaches say, because we are confident. The coaches have been drilling us for this game, and we are prepared for the battle.
“It will be a great accomplishment to play against one of the greatest footballers in the world [Messi] but we are not going to get starstruck. It will be one of the most important matches of our lives, and we are going to approach it that way.
“There will be a lot of pressure on us but it’s not only going to be Messi and Suarez; there will be other players on the list, and we have to do our jobs individually. I know those players are special, but we have to do our jobs to limit them and come away with a positive result over both legs of this competition.”
