Danny Rohl left frustrated at 'one key moment' in Braga draw as defensive error leads to Rangers' downfall
The Rangers boss said there were no 'excuses' from his side after gifting Braga a goal in the second half.
Rangers got off the mark in the Europa League after their 1-1 draw with Braga, but will feel they should’ve got more from the game.
James Tavernier opened the scoring on the stroke of half time from the penalty spot before Braga midfielder, Rodrigo Zalazar was sent off for for a headbutt on Nico Raskin. Despite the man advantage, it was the visitors who scored next when Gabri Martinez took advantage of a huge defensive blunder from Nasser Djiga. Mohamed Diomande was sent off for a second bookable offence in the dying minutes to top off a very frustrating evening in Govan.
The result means Rangers now sit 33rd in the Europa League table and will need something of a miracle to progress to the next stage with just three games to go. A win would’ve kept their hopes firmly alive in what is a massive missed opportunity for the Light Blues. While Rangers could’ve done better a man up, the mistake from Djiga gifted their opponents an easy goal with their backs against the wall and ultimately cost them the game.
Danny Rohl was happy with his side’s performance for an hour, but was disappointed with their reaction to the sending off. While ultimately it was a defensive error which led to Rangers’ downfall, the lack of attacking creativity towards the end of the game will also worry the new manager. He also said there was no ‘excuses’ for Djiga regarding his error.
Rohl ‘not looking for excuses’
Rohl said: “I think it's disappointing but I look at the first 60 minutes. It was the first time I felt my team is competitive in Europe. I think it's a step forward. But in the end we have to win and close the gaps. In the second half I felt we controlled the game. And then in one key moment, we made one mistake and conceded a goal. This goal looks very cheap.”
The defeat leaves Rangers with a mountain to climb in the League phase, but the manager believes this has been a snowball effect of previous European fixtures, rather than just the Braga capitulation. He continued: “I'm not looking for excuses in this case. I know in the second half the wind gave us a lot of problems.
“We have to improve to play 90 minutes at our highest level. You can see the table. We didn't lose the opportunity just today. It's about the last four games as well but I've been here for four weeks and for 60 minutes I see a big difference.”
‘Progress’ made despite deflating result
"Today I really see the progress in our team performance. There is no question mark that it goes in the right direction. In European competition you cannot make many mistakes and this is something we have to work on. For me it's not about the character of the group when I see how hard they work since I'm here, how much effort they put in.
“There is of course pressure, there is expectation, you have to deliver. I will help them. I try always to be positive because I know the self-confidence of a player is such an important thing. If a player has confidence they will make the right decisions in the right moments."