3 minute read
18/2/2022 | 12:15pm
Rangers produced a sensational performance in Europe on Thursday night as Gio van Bronckhorst’s side won 4-2 away from home.
The Gers found themselves 2-0 up at half-time against Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League as a James Tavernier penalty and a close-range finish from Alfredo Morelos had them in dreamland.
John Lundstram then made it 3-0 shortly after the break as he curled in a sublime left-footed effort from distance, only for Jude Bellingham to instantly pull one back for the hosts. An own goal from Dan-Axel Zagadou after clever play from Morelos restored the three-goal cushion for Rangers, before Dortmund made it 4-2 with 10 minutes left to play.
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Van Bronckhorst will be delighted with a host of individual performances from Thursday night, with the likes of Morelos, Tavernier, Lundstram, Joe Aribo and Kent all being directly involved in the goals.
One player who was an unsung hero throughout the match as others caught the spotlight with their impressive play was central midfielder Ryan Jack.
Off the ball, he was energetic and covered plenty of ground. As per SofaScore, he won five of his eight ground duels and made an impressive three tackles and three interceptions, whilst also recording one clearance. This shows that he was strong in his individual duels and read the game brilliantly to cut out Dortmund’s attacks, protecting his own goal by screening in front of the defense and closing gaps to prevent the likes of Julian Brandt and Marco Reus from finding space.
In possession, the 29-year-old was vital to Rangers. As per SofaScore, he completed 100% of his attempted dribbles and 81% of his passes whilst taking 60 touches. However, what these statistics do not show is the selection of passes he played and the movements he made to create space for himself and others to beat the press. He consistently avoided Dortmund pressure by playing passes around the corner, creating clever angles to rotate the play.
This is why he was crucial for Van Bronckhorst and Rangers on the ball, as that duly allowed the Light Blues’ attacking players to have more opportunities to get at the Dortmund defence, whilst also preventing any turnovers in their own half. Therefore, he was the unsung hero of the match with his terrific play on and off the ball for the Gers, and hopefully he will continue in the same vein for the remainder of the season.
AND in other news, Forget Morelos: £18k-p/w Rangers gem with 10 duels won dominated Westfalenstadion…
