Rangers Outclassed by Lyon in Europa League

Rangers were unable to build on their impressive Europa League victory against Malmo, succumbing to a dominant Lyon at Ibrox. Led by the outstanding Malick Fofana, Lyon quickly took the lead with a beautifully placed strike into the corner. The home crowd, buoyed by last week’s win in Sweden, celebrated when Tom Lawrence equalized after capitalizing on a poor backpass from Corentin Tolisso.

However, just like Celtic’s struggles in the Champions League, Rangers found it difficult to contain their high-quality opponents. Fofana seized on a slack backpass from Connor Barron to assist Alexandre Lacazette, who calmly slotted in Lyon’s second goal. Lacazette’s second was a powerful strike that left goalkeeper Jack Butland helpless. Lyon constantly attacked down the flanks, with wingers Rayan Cherki and Malick Fofana causing chaos for the Rangers defense.

Their pace and skill kept Rangers on the back foot throughout the match. Cherki set up Fofana’s second goal, tapping in after the winger had bamboozled Barron in the box. Although Rangers had a few chances including a header from Duje Caleta-Car that struck the post, they were largely outclassed. Although Rangers registered more shots overall with 16 compared to Lyon’s 15, they struggled to convert their chances, highlighting a disappointing lack of potency in their attack.

The pre-match discussion focused on Lyon’s experienced squad featuring players like Lacazette and Tolisso but it was the youthful exuberance of Fofana that truly shone. His pace and energy along with Cherki’s, caused constant problems for Rangers. Manager Philippe Clement acknowledged the team’s good intentions but lamented their failure to capitalize on early chances.

He emphasized that against teams of Lyon’s quality, clinical finishing is essential, and the stark difference in finishing quality was evident in the final score of 4-1.