Rangers progress and bank windfall but Plzen performance raises more questions for Russell Martin

It’s just as well. Club Brugge, who struck four times to finally see-off Salzburg in Belgium to book a meeting with Rangers in the play-off round, won’t score only twice if permitted 27 attempts on goal, which is what Viktoria Plzen were allowed on an often torrid night for the Scottish visitors, who were beaten 2-1. The Belgian side stand in Rangers’ way as this exacting challenge to reach the group stage of the Champions League comes down to one last two-legged tie. Somehow Martin is finding a way past some formidable obstacles.

Still, Brugge are a step up from Panathinaikos, who Rangers eliminated in the second round, and can certainly be expected to be more clinical than Plzen. They will fancy their chances on the evidence of their Scottish opponents’ struggles in Plzen, with Rangers reliant on a maiden goal from Lyall Cameron on the hour mark to ease their nerves.

The midfielder swept home after being in the right place at very much the right time to latch onto substitute Danilo’s slightly scuffed effort on goal. Plzen were already a goal to the good after Rafiu Durosinmi’s opener five minutes before half time. It was a good time for them to score. The hosts broke down the right through Amar Memic, who showed the stumbling Jefte a clean pair of heels, before cutting back for Durosinmi to sweep in.

The hosts were looking well positioned to mount a recovery job after their 3-0 first leg defeat in Glasgow. But Cameron’s strike brought some relief for Rangers. While the intensity went out of the home team’s play for a while, they staged an almighty grandstand finish that might have reaped something tangible for them had Jack Butland not been the equal to just about everything he had thrown at him.

Butland to the rescue

He could do little about the header from an unmarked Svetozar Markovic that gave Plzen a smidgen of hope and restored their lead on the night. Questions had to be asked of the Rangers defending yet again as substitute Kabongo slung a deep cross in for Markovic, who was standing in splendid isolation, to direct a header past Butland from close range.

Otherwise, the ‘keeper was unbeatable in these closing, sometimes desperate moments for Rangers. He was able to get a strong hand to a shot from Prince Adu that would have been put Plzen back in front earlier with still 15 minutes left to grab another two goals and force extra time. Butland then tipped over a Milan Havel header before saving bravely at the feet of Matej Vydra.

Butland went from enjoying a reasonable game to being the star man although he did receive a let off when, shortly before Rangers equalised, a break from Plzen saw the ever-dangerous Memic send in a cross that Prince Adu could not quite reach. Had it gone 2-0 to the hosts then, one wonders whether Rangers would have been able to cope with what would have undoubtedly followed. It was bad enough as it was, with Plzen finding a second wind late on. Seven minutes of time added on meant they and their fans were given some more impetus although Rangers handled this spell well and finally drew the sting from their hosts.

Helping them through this last period was Kieran Dowell, the player whose introduction against Dundee sparked such a ferocious outpouring of dissent from the home fans. He replaced Cameron and will be glad to get Saturday out of the system. Danilo, meanwhile, replaced the injured Cyriel Dessers after 54 minutes. The Nigerian international striker fell awkwardly and hurt his knee, which is another worry for Martin.

While all’s well that ends well, and Rangers can relish the addition of nearly £4 million to the coffers, this was not the sort of performance that the head coach will have wanted following the disappointing home draw with Dundee. It might not have been the result he would have preferred either, since it means he has suffered his first defeat as Ibrox manager.

Too much, too soon for new signings

But he knows and the Rangers fans will know that it could have been a lot worse. This is still a work in progress and players are still trying to find their feet. Oliver Antman introduced himself to the home fans in startling fashion in the first leg but was well marshalled here.

As against Dundee on Saturday, it seems like the emotion of making such a rapid move to the club from Go Ahead Eagles has caught up with him. It’s also unfair to expect Djeidi Gassama, the even younger winger on the opposite flank, to maintain his level of performance and goalscoring form. He has made an instant impact at Rangers but was quieter on this occasion. He picked up a booking in the first half and saw a long range effort go well wide in the second half.

Rangers entertain Alloa on Saturday in the League Cup at Ibrox and while, following Queen’s Park last season, no one at the club will be treating this any differently than a Champions League qualifier, there is, perhaps, an opportunity to give such young players a rest.

Then come these games against Club Brugge, which bookend the is-it-on, is-it-off Premiership fixture against St Mirren. It’s now very much on, with the Ibrox club deciding they can ill afford to let Celtic have the chance to stretch their lead over them prior to the first Old Firm fixture at the end of this month. The pace hardly relents for Rangers - and Martin.