Rangers’ hopes of reviving their Europa League campaign suffered another blow as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Braga at Ibrox, despite the visitors being reduced to 10 men for more than half an hour.
The hosts took the lead when captain James Tavernier converted from the spot after VAR adjudged a handball, a goal that took Tavernier level with Ally McCoist on 21 European strikes. The game turned soon after: Rodrigo Zalazar was dismissed following a VAR review for head contact with Nicolas Raskin, but Braga punished Rangers’ lapse in concentration eight minutes later. A misjudged cross by Nasser Djiga allowed Gabri Martinez to bundle the equaliser in at the back post.
Rangers had the numerical advantage for much of the second half but could not force a winner, scraping a point as the match finished. In added time Mohamed Diomande was shown a harsh second yellow for what appeared an accidental elbow, but it had no effect on the scoreline.
The draw leaves Danny Röhl’s side fourth-bottom of their group with one point from five matches, making progression to the knockout rounds extremely unlikely. Sky Sports correspondent Adam Binnie summed up the situation at Ibrox, noting Rangers would now need to win their remaining three group matches — against Ferencváros, Ludogorets and Porto — just to have a remote chance, and suggesting that even 10 points would probably be insufficient given recent precedents.
Rangers captain Tavernier admitted the result felt like a missed opportunity, saying the team must be more patient and clinical in the final third and concentrate better at the back. Head coach Danny Röhl defended the display as evidence of progress, pointing out that his side were competitive for around 60–65 minutes against opponents who had picked up nine points from four games and that the performance marked a step forward despite the disappointing outcome.
With three group fixtures left, Rangers will have to put together a strong run if they are to mount any realistic challenge for Europa League qualification.