Harsh on Rangers as Napoli run out winners

Rangers welcome Napoli tonight for Champions League group stage action for the first time in 12 years. On the back of two extremely difficult results we have to somehow bounce back against a team who top the Italian Seria A!

It’s going to be difficult but it’s not impossible and at Ibrox anything can happen. We will have to bring the noise and the excitement, the players have to bring the performance and they must deliver that.

Two defeats aren’t good enough at this club, two performances like that are even less forgiving. This isn’t about the players ‘owing’ us a performance, this is Rangers and the badge on the chest demands more than what they have been delivering.

Nothing is won or lost in September. Questions and criticisms is life at Rangers, it is up to everyone to stand up and be counted.

The team to do that this evening is:

RANGERS: McGregor, Lundstram, Goldson, Sands, Barisic, Tavernier, Davis, Arfield, Jack, Kent, Morelos

SUBS: McCrorie, Budinauckas, Ridvan, Davies, King, Devine, Kamara, Tillman, Colak, Matondo, Wright, Sakala

Seven summer signings and not one considered good enough to start this evening, a huge talking point and one to ask the manager on at a later opportunity.

Good luck to the team and manager

First half action

30 seconds! – CHANCE! Alfredo up to head wide after a great Tav cross, what a chance that was!

2 mins – POST! Zielinski fires an effort off outside of post

13 mins – SHOT! Arfield drive brilliantly tipped wide, good build up by Barisic

18 mins – SAVE! McGregor one on one and his body puts it wide for a corner, what a moment!

21 mins – CAUTION MORELOS 📒 Challenges for a Tavernier header and is cautioned as Keeper grabbed it

26 mins – SHOT! Morelos on the spin but at the keeper, good play.

35 mins – CAUTION LUNDSTRAM 📒 Looked extremely soft and over officiating

38 mins – Napoli pressure, soft FK again given and is put in to the danger area, Goldson brilliantly clears. That was goal saving.

42 mins – CAUTION palitano 📒

45 mins – WIDE Napoli again come close.

HALF TIME – RANGERS 0 NAPOLI 0

Second half action

47 mins – CHANCE! Jack to touchline and his cross headed to Arfield who screws it wide.

49 mins – SAVE! McGregor scoops one out that’s fired at him.

53 mins – CHANCE! Looping Barisic cross is headed towards back post and wide by Goldson.

54 mins – CAUTION SANDS 📒

55 mins – Napoli drag an effort wide

57 mins – RED SANDS 📒📕 PENALTY

GOAL! Napoli score the rebound after McGregor save

VAR RETAKE they encroached!

SAVE SAVE SAVE! HE’S SAVED IT AGAIN!

THIS TIME IT COUNTS!!! 0-0!

68 mins – PENALTY again Napoli, Barisic blocks a shot and they get another penalty. Sadly it is a penalty. His arm is up and outstretched.

GOAL! McGregor is so unlucky. 0-1 Napoli

74 mins – CAUTION TAVERNIER 📒

77 mins – SAVE! McGregor with another diving save to keep us in it just.

84 mins – GOAL! Napoli make it two with a slick combination which creates the opportunity to score. Harsh on Rangers, don’t deserve that. 0-2

90 mins – GOAL! Napoli make it 3-0 after horrendously slack play by Kamara, so poor and Napoli punish us.

FULL TIME – RANGERS 0 NAPOLI 3

Extremely harsh on Rangers but that is the levels unfortunately. Game was over the moment we went to ten men as Napoli simply too strong but as we rolled the dice we were punished at the end.

We had to score in the first half and when you don’t you get punished. Not without controversy with the penalties. Two saved, VAR controversy and then the retake which Allan almost gets too.

Will be no consolation to anyone but that was a much better performance and effort level by the team. It couldn’t have been worse.

Giovanni Van Bronckhorst post match press conference –