Russell Martin’s bold selection changes reaped immediate rewards as Rangers cruised to a 3-0 win over Viktoria Plzen in the first leg of their Champions League third qualifying round at Ibrox.
Following a frustrating 1-1 draw at Motherwell, Martin publicly criticised the squad’s mentality and intensity. In response, he made several key changes, dropping captain James Tavernier and influential midfielder Nicolas Raskin to the bench. The result was a revitalised performance, spearheaded by summer signing Djeidi Gassama, who netted twice in a commanding display.
Gassama opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a slick one-two and a composed finish past Plzen keeper Florian Wiegele. Shortly before halftime, debutant Oliver Antman was fouled in the box, and Cyriel Dessers calmly converted the penalty to double the lead.
“We had a really difficult evening on Saturday, but we responded well,” said Martin. “It wasn’t just ranting and raving – we showed clips, we coached, and the boys took it on board brilliantly.”
Gassama, signed from Sheffield Wednesday, continued his impressive European form by heading in his second—and Rangers’ third—early in the second half from a perfect Antman cross, taking his tally to four goals in three European games.
Martin praised the contributions of the returning players: “The guys that came in were fantastic. We need everyone this season. No one is dropped permanently—it’s about freshness and response.”
Tavernier, Raskin, and Danilo later came off the bench, with Martin insisting the squad remains unified: “They’ve all responded professionally. I don’t foresee any problems.”
The result puts Rangers in a strong position to advance to a playoff against either RB Salzburg or Club Brugge.
Elsewhere, Malmö and FC Copenhagen played out a goalless draw in their derby, while Anderson Silva’s late strike earned Pafos a 1-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv. Qarabag secured a valuable 1-0 away win at Shkendija thanks to Toral Bayramov’s first-half penalty.
