3 minute read
29/4/2022 | 12:10pm
Rangers will need to turn around a one-goal deficit when they play the second leg of their Europa League semi-final tie at Ibrox next week.
The Gers suffered a 1-0 defeat in Germany on Thursday night as they were hit with a late hammer blow after defending superbly for most of the game.
Gio van Bronckhorst’s gameplan appeared to be working brilliantly for them as they held firm at the back until Angelino scored a screamer from distance on the volley to win the match for RB Leipzig in the 85th minute.
Although the night ended in defeat for the Light Blues, there were a number of players who were able to leave the pitch with their heads held high. One player in particular who was outstanding on the night was Croatian defender Borna Barisic.
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The left-back was superb as he caught the eye at both ends of the pitch. Defensively, he was solid for Van Bronckhorst’s men – as per SofaScore, the £18k-per-week gem won 100% of his duels throughout the 90 minutes whilst also making four clearances, one tackle and one interception.
On the ball, he was reliable and a threat to the Glasgow giants. As per SofaScore, he only gave away possession eight times from 45 touches, which shows that he was not a liability with the ball at his feet. He also created two chances and was successful with one of his two crosses as he made an impact going forward.
Rangers only had seven shots in total and two of those came from his passes, which shows how influential he was in an attacking sense. He offered a much-needed outlet in possession to get the team up the pitch, relieving pressure on the backline and giving the attackers a chance to get at the Leipzig defence.
Former Gers winger Neil McCann claimed earlier this month that Barisic is “like a train” in attack, and that is how the Croatian looked when he was bombing on the overlap to cause problems for the Bundesliga team, although he did not get too many opportunities to do so because of the nature of the game.
Overall, it was an outstanding performance from the 29-year-old and he did not deserve to be on the losing side on the night. He was excellent and Van Bronckhorst will surely be delighted with how Barisic performed at left-back, nailing down his position ahead of the Old Firm clash on Sunday.
AND in other news, Fewer touches than McGregor: Rangers dud who lost possession 15 times let GvB down badly…
