November 10, (THEWILL) – Rangers moved clear into second place in Europa League Group C with what turned out to be a nervy 2-1 win over Sparta Prague at Ibrox on Thursday night.
The Scottish side raced into a two-goal lead through strikes from Brazilian striker Danilo and midfielder Todd Cantwell in the opening 20 minutes. However, the visitors pulled one back late on through Lukas Haraslin to set up a tense finale in Glasgow.
Danilo pounced on an error to open the scoring after just 11 minutes before Cantwell doubled the lead with a fine curled effort nine minutes later. Sparta improved after the break and reduced the arrears when Haraslin finished off a slick move with 13 minutes remaining.
Rangers held on despite heavy late pressure to make it six games unbeaten under new manager Philippe Clement. The victory puts them on seven points, two behind group leaders Real Betis but crucially three ahead of third-placed Sparta Prague with two games remaining.
The Light Blues will be looking to secure qualification to the knockout stages when they host Cypriot side Aris Limassol later this month before concluding their group campaign away to Betis. However, Thursday’s win ensures their fate remains in their own hands.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
