Rangers slump to Europa defeat as Martin’s tenure (surely) hangs by a thread.
The Russell Martin era at Ibrox suffered another heavy blow as his struggling Rangers side slumped to a 1–0 defeat in their Europa League opener against a mediocre and unspectacular Genk team.
A very telling crowd of just under 38,000 turned out for what proved to be one of the flattest European nights Ibrox has seen in years. The mood inside the ground was a far cry from the raucous, unforgettable atmospheres this competition has so often provided for Rangers in recent seasons. With little excitement on the pitch and even less belief in the stands, this felt a long way from the European stage the supporters have come to expect.
Rangers’ task was made even harder by a reckless first-half challenge from Mohammed Diomande, with the Ivorian midfielder shown a straight red card. Yet even before the dismissal, Martin’s side had looked flat and uninspired, creating little to trouble a Belgian defence that was rarely stretched.
It was a depressingly familiar outcome, piling yet more pressure on a manager who appears to be living on borrowed time. This was Martin’s 14th competitive match in charge, a run yielding only four victories. By the final whistle, the few who remained inside Ibrox made their feelings clear, with chants of discontent echoing around the stadium once again this month. It only deepened the sense that the support have given up on Martin completely, with no way back.
Ten of the eleven who started against Hibs in Saturday’s League Cup tie kept their places, with the only change coming up front as Bojan Miovski dropped to the bench for big-money summer signing Yussef Chermiti. Making his first Ibrox start, the Portuguese striker led the line with Djeidi Gassama and Mikey Moore flanking him in attack.
Moore twice threatened in the opening quarter of an hour, first firing over from distance on ten minutes before dragging another effort just wide four minutes later. But the visitors grew into the game and should have taken the lead on 17 minutes when former Celtic striker Oh Hyeon-gyu somehow blazed over from six yards. Five minutes later, Genk midfielder Pavel Hrosovsky struck the post as Rangers struggled to settle and were beginning to be carved open with ease.
There was brief hope on 34 minutes when James Tavernier’s header from a corner struck the arm of a Genk defender inside the box. After a VAR review, however, the referee judged the skipper had pushed his opponent in the build-up, and no penalty was awarded.
Things went from bad to worse in the lead-up to half-time when Diomande was shown a straight red card for a late challenge. It was a poor, rash tackle, and the midfielder could have no complaints with the referee’s decision.
Moments later, Tavernier clipped Genk’s onrushing left winger, Yaimar Medina, inside the box, and, after another VAR check, a penalty was awarded. Oh stepped up to take the spot kick but squandered the chance, blasting straight into the path of Jack Butland, who palmed it away to keep Rangers level at the break.
At half-time, there was a change in personnel as Oliver Antman replaced the ineffective Moore, who had struggled for form and confidence since his summer loan move. When the second period began, it was Rangers who came close to grabbing the opening goal. Just two minutes after the restart, some good build-up play from the home side saw the ball find its way to an unmarked Thelo Aasgaard in the box. The Norwegian poorly connected with his shot, though, and it flew high and wide.
Genk then began to add some pressure, and Oh missed another close-range chance on 50 minutes, before finally making amends four minutes later. The Korean raced onto a through ball, with Rangers’ wide-open defence allowing him all the time he needed, and fired his strike past Butland to give the visitors the lead.
Oh thought he had doubled his tally on 69 minutes as Ibrox began to empty, but the goal was ruled out for offside following another VAR check. From there, the game fizzled out. Reduced to ten men and short on ideas, Rangers offered little going forward, and despite more changes being made from the substitutes bench, in a desperate attempt from the manager to salvage even a point, the full-time whistle was greeted by a chorus of boos from the frustrated Ibrox crowd as the Belgians held on for a crucial three points.
It was another all-too-familiar performance: Rangers gave up a host of chances while creating very little of their own. Any momentum from Saturday’s improved win over Hibs has now quickly evaporated, leaving Martin in desperate need of a miracle to win back an apathetic, disillusioned fanbase. With three potentially awkward away games in a row to come before the international break, beginning on Sunday at Livingston, the under-fire boss can’t afford any further slip-ups, or the club could return to action after the break with a new manager in the dugout.