Glasgow Rangers were outplayed and outfought as they slumped to a woeful 5-1 defeat to PSV Eindhoven at the Philips Stadion last night, as they ended their Champions League aspirations with a whimper.
Michael Beale knew this was a must win game, yet his side failed to inspire confidence during a first half which saw the Gers take just one shot all half and hold just 35% possession, allowing the Dutch side to take a 1-0 advantage into the break.
PSV got better after the break, eventually netting another four goals, playing some scintillating football in the process and the Rangers’ midfield simply couldn’t get in the game, with summer arrival Jose Cifuentes struggling to make an impact.
What happened to Rangers vs PSV?
Following an encouraging display at Ibrox a week ago, the Light Blues were in a buoyant mood heading to Eindhoven, yet the travelling supporters were let down by an atrocious display.
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Cifuentes was signed for nights like these, but it’s evident that he still isn’t up to speed with European football as he looked careless a few times throughout the encounter.
His Sofascore rating of 6.1 was the joint-worst on the pitch, and he failed to showcase the physicality which made him such an impressive performer for Los Angeles FC in the MLS as he was dribbled past four times while winning a grand total of one duel from ten combined ground and aerial attempts.
He completed just 75% of his passes and took only 47 touches during the match, further evidence that he wasn’t influential at all and this was a major factor in the Gers' dreadful midfield performance.
While the 24-year-old was bad, striker Cyriel Dessers was arguably worse, failing to take his chance during what was the most important match for the club this season so far.
How did Cyriel Dessers perform vs PSV?
Although hardly prolific, netting only ten goals last season, it was clearly his other qualities which Beale felt would work in his tactical setup, yet nothing came off last night for the Nigerian international.
Isolated through the middle, Dessers managed just 20 touches during his 61-minute spell on the pitch, fewer than goalkeeper Jack Butland, and the £4.5m addition completed only nine passes too, failing to link up well with either Rabbi Matondo or Todd Cantwell.
Not only that, but his attacking output was also way below par. The 28-year-old failed to register a shot during his time on the field of play and failed with both his attempted dribble attempts, while making zero key passes or delivering any crosses.
The former Feyenoord forward also lost possession ten times, won zero total duels and committed a single foul in an all-round terrible performance.
The 7-3 aggregate defeat means the Ibrox side miss out on the major financial war chest that comes with securing Champions League group stage football and there were quite a few performers who seriously let Beale and the club down.
Thoughts now turn to the first Old Firm clash of the season on Sunday and with home advantage, Beale will be hoping his men can get last night's display out of their minds rather quickly in the build-up to the tie.
