Rangers secured progression into the Champions League play-off round after a hard-fought 3-2 win over Servette on aggregate. Michael Beale's side carried a 2-1 lead into the second leg in Switzerland but the hosts levelled the scores when Dereck Kutesa curled a stunning effort beyond Jack Butland. 

It was an unconvincing opening 45 minutes but Rangers responded well in the second half and James Tavernier's header set up a play-off against PSV.

Our writers pick apart the big talking points below. 

Falling and rising to the occasion 

Servette averaged just 8000 home fans last season, tonight selling out their 30,000 capacity stadium for only the second time since 2003. That left the atmosphere as something of an unknown - with so many in attendance not regulars, would the numbers be conducive to an intimidating European away leg? The Stade de Geneve was loud and that undoubtedly helped the home side, playing on a edge constantly with the numbers committed to their attack. Rangers’ lack of off ball balance before the break ensured their control was fleeting, Servette’s direct style in contrast allowed them to constantly pose a threat and take a firm hold of the momentum. In a game of open spaces, they were able to convert the dangerous moments fashioned, 

Half-time came at the right time for Beale and Rangers. His side almost conceded a second just before, although a chance on the break Butland had to stop looked offside and needed to reorganise. There wasn’t an obvious change to the shape, nor any subs at the break, so what if anything changed? First, it looked as though Cifuentes and Raskin were playing slightly wider, offering the full-backs a greater level of protection and getting out to press the opposition’s. Secondly, Rangers rarely lost the ball in the same precarious areas they had before half-time. That’s key because if you lose the ball in a situation where your team’s set up to attack, space in return is there to be attacked. Periods of play were far more controlled and dangerous - the team played in clear patterns and looked in tune.

Joshua Barrie

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Defensive fragility

Rangers dominated the opening five minutes in Switzerland but their defensive deficiencies were quickly exposed. A clever flick from Chris Bedia completely eliminated Connor Goldson and James Tavernier was unable to prevent Timothe Cognat from racing clear into the box. The French midfielder looked destined to score but the Rangers defence was bailed out by an incredible one-handed save by Jack Butland. That hesitancy, however, typified Rangers’ defensive display early on. There was a nervousness amongst the back four and that ultimately proved costly when John Souttar misjudged a simple header in the build-up to Servette’s opener. Souttar has rightly received a lot of praise in recent weeks but that’s now two incredibly costly mistakes in four games.

Stalwart Goldson has been incredibly reliable in a Rangers jersey but he appeared shaky and Tavernier’s positioning also left a lot to be desired. Worryingly, Rangers didn’t learn from Servette’s opener and a sloppy header from Goldson should’ve been punished with another goal but Kutesa failed to square the ball to his teammate for a simple tap-in and Butland saved. Borna Barisic was also guilty of schoolboy defending in this sequence of play as he stopped and raised his hand for offside, which allowed the Servette to run off him to become completely free at the back post. Michael Beale had justifiable cause to read the riot act at the interval and there was a marked improvement defensively in the second half. Rangers simply can’t afford to be as fragile defensively if they want to progress past PSV into the Champions League group stages. 

Euan Robertson 

A first half defined by transitions 

A topic at the pre-match press conference on Monday, a feature of the first-leg, transitions are always key in football but given the direct nature of Servette’s attacking play contrasting Rangers’ narrow set-up, they were even more at the forefront in this tie. “I think we’ve got enough in our squad in terms of the big spaces and being able to attack quickly. It’s something in our away form domestically since I came back into the club and in Europe, too,” Beale said on Monday. “We’ve always been good at it. If Servette come right after us, there will be spaces. If the game is played in the middle zone, we’ll have to problem solve as well.”

The first half could be summarised simply - Servette capitalised on numbers in the final third while Rangers did not. Danilo’s chance is the obvious example, but the visitors had so many ‘nearly’ moments ultimately unfulfilled. That miss and Lammers’ in the first leg were both transitions that should’ve ended in goals. Contrastingly, Servette’s numbers in the attack allowed them to quickly match, or overload, the players in Rangers’ defence. The risk attached to this for Rangers was mitigated by the chances they’d have with numbers up top in return, and before half-time, they failed to exploit this. The home side’s opener was a prime example of their favoured method of attack, although Servette didn’t cut through the visitors with a slick passing move they accessed the final third directly and benefitted from a second ball - allowing them to isolate Kutesa in a dangerous area and score. It was a game in which the momentum swung by the moment for large periods. 

Profligacy pain

Football is often a game of small margins and Rangers inability to convert relatively easy chances had a huge impact on this tie. After a brilliant start at Ibrox, Sam Lammers missed an open goal from six yards out to give Rangers a 3-0 lead. A third goal in the first half would’ve punctured Servette’s resilience and it ultimately proved costly as the Swiss side pulled a goal back to completely change the landscape of the tie. It was a sense of deja vu in Geneva tonight as Danilo arguably wasted an even better chance when he skewed wide with the goal gaping.

If Danilo had scored, it would have deflated the Servette players and crowd within ten minutes of the hosts taking the lead. Rangers invested considerable funds to bring the Brazilian striker to Glasgow and he simply has to convert those opportunities. Beale replaced his entire attacking line this summer and it will understandably take time for the new additions to gel, but an inability to convert into an empty net from close range is unforgivable. Dessers also spurned two good opportunities to kill the tie following his introduction. After the home leg last week, Beale expressed leniency towards his attacking players for missing chances but that patience can’t last forever.

Euan Robertson

Cantwell is this team’s protagonist 

He may have not had a hand in the goal, but for this writer situated high in the Stade De Geneve Todd Cantwell stood out head and shoulders for Rangers. Raskin and Cifuentes excelled alongside him in midfield after the break, Butland was a difference-maker throughout and the full-backs provided the deciding moment, but it was Cantwell’s ball-carrying and creativity that so often made you sit up and take note. Whether operating deeper in a slower pace of the game or in the No.10 slot during matches that naturally flow end-to-end, Cantwell is this team’s heartbeat. It’s more controversial to suggest he is not Rangers’ best player, rather than arguing in his favour. Cantwell created Dessers’ late chance that clipped the post with a magnificent weave through the Swiss side’s defence, repeatedly solution-finding throughout the rest of the 90 minutes. Whatever line-up, game plan or occasion Rangers face this season, Michael Beale’s first signing should always be first on the team sheet. Cantwell continues to act as the protagonist for Rangers. 

Joshua Barrie