Rangers edged xG in Braga as lack of quality in close-fought match laid bare

Abel Ruiz’s first-half curler separated the sides following a defensive mistake from Leon Balogun.

Using StatsBomb data, The Rangers Review brings you a unique look back at events in Portugal.

Trendline and Game Stats

The stats above tell us this was a close-run contest. Rangers edged the possession but both teams recorded an almost identical number of passes and the pass completion percentage was very similar.

This was a match with very little in the way of actual clear cut chances. Interestingly Rangers boasted a better xG than their opponents of 0.72 with Braga scoring just 0.56 which suggests if the game was played 100 times, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men would win more often than not although the draw was the most likely outcome.

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Simply put, both teams cancelled each other out and it was a game where both defences, in the main, came out on top.

Shot Maps

If we take a closer look at the Shot Maps, we get a true sense of just how limp Rangers were in front of goal. No shots on target from six attempts is poor and an area of the pitch they’ll have to improve upon massively if they’re to progress from the tie.

On the other hand, Braga created very little themselves. Of their six attempts they found the target once and it proved to be the crucial winning goal. If we take a look at Ruiz’s strike in detail, the xG of 0.17 tells you it was a difficult chance to take on but his execution saw this jump to 0.59 which shows you the strike was hit with such quality that it understandably beat Allan McGregor.

Pass Networks

The illustrations above show you both teams really struggled to get their passing games going. Both like to play a possession-based style but neither were able to get a real foothold and take the game by the scruff of the neck.

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If we compare Rangers between the first half and second half, we can see Ryan Jack, Fashion Sakala and Ryan Kent were more involved in the first 45 minutes which backs up what we were witnessing with our eyes at the time.

Glen Kamara struggled to get involved as much as he would’ve liked, the Finn was often guilty of being caught in possession or giving the ball away cheaply. He’s one of a number of players who look like they are struggling for confidence and Rangers need him back to his best if they want to reach the semi-finals.

Conclusion

Despite such a high-profile tie in the latter stages of European competition, this match was far from a classic. Rangers were laboured but will be relieved to come away with just a one-goal deficit.

This was a point made by van Bronckhorst in his post-match press conference when he said: "Of course, we’re only halfway.

"We always want a good result to take back to the second game, that’s what we wanted but a 1-0 defeat is quite a small margin. We’re only halfway so next week we have a big game, a huge task ahead of us.

"We will prepare well and I think our performance at times was good, we created some chances. Also, you see the quality they have, it is the quarter-finals so you are going to face an opponent who’s also strong but a one-goal difference to take back, of course, it could’ve been better but it could’ve been also worse.

"We have a much better view of the team when you play them so we’re going to prepare well for next week."

There are areas of the pitch Rangers must improve upon if they have designs of progressing further in the tournament.

But with the ferocious Ibrox crowd behind them next Thursday, the players are sure to get a lift from the crowd which could help them turn this tie around.