Rangers dwell on positives after European 'step' but certain issues still remain

They were at odds with head coach Danny Rohl’s assessment of the performance against the Portuguese side. He contested Rangers had taken “a step forward” on the continent. This was the team’s first point in the competition after five matches. Nevertheless, reaching the knock-out stages appears a pipe dream. Even handsome wins in their final three matches against Ferencvaros, Ludogorets Razgrad and Porto may not be enough.

Rangers did okay in spells against Braga in what was a match low on quality and hampered by a vicious wind. But the team’s shortcomings were laid bare by their inability to kick on on the hour mark when visiting forward Rodrigo Zalazar was sent off with the hosts leading 1-0. Nine minutes later, they shipped an equaliser after an individual error from defender Nasser Djiga. Such incidents continue to cripple this Rangers side.

Rohl stopped short of saying that domestic football will be prioritised now but Rangers cannot allow such moments to seep into their Premiership form. So far, they have won all four matches the German has presided over in the league, yet sit fifth and still remain nine points behind leaders Hearts.

Rangers have an injury crisis to contend with but are not being helped by some underwhelming play at the sharp ends of the pitch. Djiga continues to blight any good work with lapses in concentration and in attack, Youssef Chermiti’s hirpling displays pose further questions on why £8.5 million was sanctioned for his purchase. Danilo and Djeidi Gassama have their moments - but they are all too fleeting.

Inside the dressing room, midfielder Connor Barron tried to dwell on the positives. He was one of the team’s better players on Thursday night and believes Rangers can take heart from their draw with Braga into Sunday’s Premiership clash with Falkirk.

Barron did admit that the team needs to cut out the concession of cheap goals but believes there were plenty of positives to be taken from the overall performance. The former Aberdeen midfielder hopes to take those into Sunday, where nothing but a win will do against a Falkirk team that would leapfrog the hosts with a victory of their own.

Rangers ‘can take confidence from that’

“We’re disappointed we didn’t get the three points (against Braga) but I thought for large spells in the game we were good and dealt with the conditions really well,” said Barron. “We showed something we haven’t shown in the previous Europa League games so we can take confidence from that, in terms of the performance.

“But in terms of a result, we still need to work on that and we believe we can. Hopefully we can carry that performance into Sunday. We have to do that. The fixtures come thick and fast here but we’ve got to go and deal with that. We have to pick up maximum points on Sunday.

“I’ve seen a lot of differences and improvements since the manager came in. I feel like we’re playing with a lot more freedom and the boys are taking advantage of that. Obviously we have to pick up results and in the league we’ve done that. But (Thursday) was a disappointing one.”

Barron also insisted that Rangers are not giving up on Europe - despite the daunting task in front of them. They will need to win in Budapest next month to stand any chance going into January games at home to Ludogorets and then over in Porto.

“Personally, I felt like I did well (on Thursday night),” added the 23-year-old, “but the focus has to be on the team and getting three points. We didn’t do that and we’re disappointed with just one. We have to try and win the last three games now, 100 percent. And the belief is in there to go and do it. That’s our focus but we’ve got another game on Sunday.”