Malmo 0-2 Rangers: Bajrami and McCausland Secure Europa League Victory
Malmo vs rangers Europa League Updates: Thanks to goals from Ross McCausland in the second half and an early goal from Nedim Bajrami, Rangers defeated Malmo 2-0 to start their Europa League campaign.
The team led by Philippe Clement seemed dominant, however they may have increased their lead with more accurate shooting.
In less than a minute, midfielder Nedim Bajrami scored his first goal for the Ibrox club, and Philippe Clement’s team missed multiple opportunities to add a second goal before halftime.
The Swedish champions, who had defeated Rangers in their previous four Champions League qualifying encounters, increased their pressure after the break, but the Scottish team continued to miss opportunities to extend their lead. In the 76th minute, substitute Ross McCausland scored an incredible second goal to complete the victory.
When asked if that was the best Rangers performance of the year, Clement replied, “I believe it to be so.” However, that does not guarantee that it will remain the best we’ve ever had. To improve it, I believe we must put in a lot of effort, and that is exactly what we will do.
“It was the perfect start to the campaign, and the perfect start to the game also.”
The Ibrox team faced their greatest test since they were defeated 3-0 by Celtic at the beginning of the month, and they passed with flying colors. On Sunday, Clement’s team will play Hibernian live on Sky Sports in the Scottish Premiership. The following week, they will play Lyon in the second of eight Europa League matches.
Clement faced selection conundrums prior to the game. With Jefte out due to suspension and Ridvan Yilmaz among several injured players, Feyenoord loanee Neraysho Kasanwirjo, a 22-year-old Dutch defender, started at left back for the first time, while Mohamed Diomande, a midfielder, replaced Dujon Sterling.
Malmo, who led the Swedish table by eight points and appeared to be heading for title No. 24, were taken aback by their early defeat.
Defender Gabriel Busanello’s careless pass back allowed Cyriel Dessers to round goalie Johan Dahlin, but his close-range effort struck the crossbar. Bajrami, an Albanian international signed from Sassuolo in the summer, was there to follow up and hammered the ball into the empty net.
The home team was startled by the goal, but they quickly realized what they had to do. The leading scorer in the Swedish top division, Isaac Kiese Thelin of Malmo, scored a goal after a free kick from Sergio Pena in the eighteenth minute, but the offside flag was raised right away.
At a crucial point, Dahlin had to stop a Bajrami drive before Dessers mishandled inside the box. Bajrami sent wide player Vaclav Cerny racing free on goal five minutes before halftime, but the Gers attacker’s weak attempt went wide.
Moments later, Bajrami produced a far stronger drive from 20 yards out that was superbly saved by Dahlin; nevertheless, in another Rangers break, the Albanian player gave a pass back to Dessers when he had a chance to score.
Henrik Rydstrom’s team placed a lot of pressure on the Govan team early in the second half, but Jack Butland of the Gers was well-defended. Rangers’ chances of winning were raised when Malmo captain Anders Christiansen sent a long-range effort over the crossbar in the 58th minute.
Dahlin scrambled to stop an incredible effort from Dessers after a free-kick from Cerny, but Portuguese referee Luis Godinho blew for an infraction. After Cerny’s weary substitution in the 69th minute, winger McCausland sprinted away of the Malmo defense and carelessly cleared the bar.
The ball bounced in off the post, but Northern Ireland international McCausland was accurate in his 20-yard drive, and he and the other Gers players sprinted to the corner to accept the applause of the departing fans.
With just Dahlin to beat, Kasanwirjo had a chance to smash a shot over the crossbar, but Rangers would have gladly taken that scoreline prior to kickoff.
