Valiant but vulnerable – how Rangers escaped heat of Athens with hope

Russell Martin’s side finally got what they wanted on a blisteringly hot Athens night when Rangers had at times been desperately valiant and desperately vulnerable.

Panathinaikos was eliminated from the Champions League second round qualifier when the draw appeared to be the riskiest of the first step in the league phase, and Rangers drew their luck from Glasgow to Greece.

The character displayed by a team in the early stages of the new head coach’s overhaul was admired as they drew 1-1 on the night and advanced 3-1 on aggregate, despite some Greek wastefulness and Jack Butland heroics being to blame for their passage to the next round.

While other aspects of their game would have been troubling, Martin had instructed his players to be resilient in the face of the Panathinaikos onslaught.

“We will improve,” After the game, Martin predicted that the group would benefit greatly from this. His current task is to improve the quality of the character his team has demonstrated in these two testing encounters.

Russell Martin thrives on the training ground, according to former Rangers goalkeeper Cammy Bell, who spoke on BBC Sportsound.

“The better they will get, the longer he has with his players.

Djeidi Gassama’s second stunning and crucial goal in as many games will make headlines.

The hosts had only jumped out to the front on the night when VAR realized Filip Duricic was blocking Butland. There was still time to overhaul Rangers’ shrinking aggregate lead, and the dam had finally been burst.

However, Gassama appeared three minutes after starting that game and seven minutes later to slash a vicious shot into the post to halt the hosts’ momentum.

Few, though, could have captured the spirit of the Rangers team more than John Souttar, who stood tall in the defense when the Greeks were threatening to split the team.

According to Sudtar, “That’s how you build a team, surviving those difficult moments,”

It demonstrates our mentality, it says. There will be times when things won’t go our way. We can thank Butland because he was once more outstanding.

The two legs’ recurring theme was that the ball wasn’t looked after. Rangers players frequently gave up possession cheaply in the first two legs of both legs.

Although they were fortunate not to face Panathinaikos, such sloppiness must be eliminated as they advance through the qualifying rounds and, as they hope, the Champions League league phase.

Former Rangers striker Peter Lovenkrands on Sportsound: “If Gassama hadn’t scored then, I think Rangers could have potentially conceded the game because they were already dominating the entire area at that time.”

“Rangers don’t really have time,” he says. Right now, the play seems to be lagging behind. Before the following round, that needs to be cleaned up.

Rangers will face Czech side Viktoria Plzen in the following round. Another challenging test that Martin’s side must take better of.

If Rangers play like they’ve done over the two ties, they’re going to make it difficult for themselves, said former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday, who said “you would anticipate them to be weaker opponents than Panathinaikos.”

“Rangers are still developing, and their performance will undoubtedly improve.”