Rangers Dismantle Viktoria Plzeň in Champions League Show of Strength
So, here's what went down at Ibrox in what turned into a brilliant night for Rangers and their fans. It was the first leg of the Champions League third qualifying round, and the Glasgow side absolutely took control against Viktoria Plzeň, cruising to a 3-0 win—and it honestly could've been more.
The star of the night? No surprises—it was Djeidi Gassama again. This guy has barely unpacked his bags in Glasgow, yet he's quickly becoming the standout name in Rangers' European campaign. After scoring in both legs against Panathinaikos in the previous round, he was at it once more—netting two more goals and putting in a performance that had Ibrox absolutely rocking.
His first came just 15 minutes into the match. It was a slick bit of link-up play with Cyriel Dessers—who also had a stellar night—and Gassama coolly slotted it home inside the box. Fans didn’t even get a breather before Dessers added to the scoreline right before half-time, this time from the penalty spot after new signing Oliver Antman was brought down in the box.
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Now, Antman deserves a huge shoutout too. It was his debut, and despite having just one training session under his belt, you wouldn’t have guessed it. He was electric down the wing, giving the Plzeň defenders a nightmare all night. He capped off his performance with a brilliant cross early in the second half, which Gassama headed home for his second and Rangers’ third.
Plzeň, on the other hand, just couldn’t handle the pace, the energy, or the pressure from Rangers. Their best moments were few and far between, and even when they tried to get something going, the home side's defense stood firm. Jack Butland barely had to break a sweat in goal.
All of this came off the back of some pretty blunt comments from Rangers boss Russell Martin following their weekend draw with Motherwell. He called out his squad for playing it safe and not showing enough fire. Well, it’s safe to say that message was received. The response couldn’t have been clearer—or louder.
With Pavel Šulc having just been sold by Plzeň to Lyon, they were already without one of their best creative forces, and it showed. The Czech side looked lost for ideas and simply couldn't match the intensity.
Now Rangers have one foot firmly planted in the playoff round, where they’ll likely face RB Salzburg or Club Brugge. But based on tonight’s showing, they’ll be heading into that clash with a whole lot of momentum and belief.
Ibrox was bouncing, the football was flowing, and the message was loud and clear—this Rangers team is starting to click, and they mean business in Europe.
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