Swedish media hit meltdown over Rangers win against Malmo as wild boos rain down amid 'dejected' flops
Rangers achieved success on the continent midweek against Malmo.
They got their Europa League campaign off to a perfect start - and Rangers victory has piled criticism on their defeated foes.
Goals from Nedim Bajrami and Ross McCausland sealed an impressive 2-0 win for the Light Blues in Sweden. It gets their Europa League campaign off to the perfect start in the newly-revamped league phase of the competition they reached the final of three seasons ago.
While Rangers have been met with praise after this win, the same cannot be said for Malmo. Philippe Clement’s men have sparked a wave of criticism for the Swedes as Rangers are handed the title of instigators of a dreadful night for their hosts. Have a look at how the Swedish media have reacted to the game.
Expressen
“Malmö FF could not be recognized. The players looked lost, dejected. Busanello was far from alone in being careless. 0–2 could just as well have been 0–5 if Cyriel Dessers and Neraysho Kasanwirjo had better order in their finishes. It was written and talked about the dream draw for Malmö FF, but when you have now entered the tournament as crookedly as you did in the individual meeting against Rangers, the chances of advancement have deteriorated drastically. This was one of the matches that would bring points to the account.”
SVT Sport
“It was a tough start for Malmö in the Europa League opener against Rangers. 0-2 and not a single shot on target as Rangers ran through time after time. The defensive game left a lot to be desired for Malmö FF in the 0-2 loss against Rangers at home. The Skåne had enormous problems with the Rangers' attackers, who slipped through time and time again for numerical superiority, and if Johan Dahlin had not woken up on the right side, there could have been more goals for the away team.”
FotbollDirekt
“There was good pressure in the stands. Both teams' fans were really excited before the game. It was packed to the last seat inside Eleda. Nightmare start for MFF. How would Malmö handle this setback after just one minute? The MFF players gathered in a ring immediately after the goal and gave an "uplifting speech", it looked like. At every free kick that the Skåne receive, the crowd boos wildly! A note worth describing is that Rydström and Clement, coach in Rangers, are extremely similar from behind. Same hairstyle, actively coaching and both wearing dark suits.
“The home crowd continued to show their displeasure with Portuguese referee Godinho every time he blew a free kick for Rangers. MFF invested directly in the second half and it was clear that this was an order from Rydström. MFF did not succeed in mobilizing the last quarter and creating that real pressure and the feeling was that the players were generally a little dejected. This was surely a miscalculation for MFF who had hoped for more in the first match of the Europa League league game.”