Thursday, November 25, 2021 at 10:56 PM• Mart van Mourik

Giovanni van Bronckhorst led Rangers to winter in the Europa League on Thursday evening. In the game against Sparta Prague, the Scots stepped off the field with a 2-0 victory. The Dutch elector was at the helm for the first time. It was a crucial win, as Van Bronckhorst’s team (seven points) took over second place from the Czechs (four points). The previous mutual encounter in Group A ended in a 1-0 win for Sparta Prague, as a result of which Rangers can no longer be surpassed based on mutual results.

The assignment for Van Bronckhorst was clear: win by more than a goal difference to be sure of wintering already. The Olympique Lyon of trainer Peter Bosz was already certain of group win and also defeated Bröndby IF on Thursday 1-3. Rangers was on roses relatively early in the game, as Alfredo Morelos scored the opening goal after fifteen minutes of play. After a nice combination game, Ianis Hagi was sent into the depths. The attacking midfielder in turn passed the ball to Morelos, who finished off in a cool way: 1-0.

After that, Rangers remained the dominant party, although the slight dominance in the field before half-time did not result in a second goal. Shortly after the resumption, the margin was doubled. Morelos dribbled from the left towards the box, after which he cut in and found the right corner with a placed shot: 2-0. The Colombian goal-getter still had a good opportunity after more than an hour of play, but this time he ran into goalkeeper Dominik Holec. In the final phase, Sparta Prague had the opportunity to score the connecting goal three times. However, both Adam Hlozek and Adam Karabec lacked sharpness and fortune in the finish.