Rangers rescued a crucial point in a 1-1 draw away at Porto on Matchday 3 of the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, as Steven Gerrard’s side kept their hopes of qualification alive.
Having kicked off their campaign with an excellent 1-0 victory over Feyenoord on Matchday 1, the Gers were under immense pressure heading into the away tie against Porto after squandering a goal advantage to lose 2-1 against Swiss giants BSC Young Boys in their previous encounter.
Away from home and up against a Porto side that boasted of big names like Moussa Marega and former Real Madrid star Pepe, Rangers were clearly the underdogs heading into the clash and few would have given them a chance to come away with a positive result from the game.
However, the Ibrox giants defied the odds and more than held their own against a top-quality opposition to rescue a valuable point, as Gerrard’s side leapfrogged the Portuguese giants to go second in Group G standings on the virtue of a superior goal difference.
Porto dictated the play in the first 35 minutes and Luis Diaz scored the opener with a fantastic curling effort from outside the box that left Allan McGregor dumbfounded between the sticks after Ze Luis had hit the post with a powerful header.
However, Rangers had some decent spells of play thereafter and Alfredo Morelos, who was denied by the post earlier, grabbed his opportunity to draw the visitors level just at the stroke of the interval, with Borna Barisic claiming the assist with a sumptuous early ball whipped across the face of the goal.
Morelos drew another fantastic save from Marchesin early in the second half and while Rangers struggled to create too many openings in the final third later on in the game, the defenders did a fantastic job to keep Porto away from a winning goal, albeit with the help of some goalkeeping heroics from McGregor, who made a brilliant double save.
In the end, a point was as good as a victory for the travelling Rangers fans, who wouldn’t have hoped for their team to make much of an impact against Porto.
In fact, the Gers matched the Portuguese giants in all aspects of the game, managing 50% possession and spraying a staggering 471 passes with an accuracy of 80%.
Morelos and Ryan Kent were amongst the standout performers up top while Ryan Jack also caught the eye with a solid shift in the middle of the park in what was a fantastic all-round team performance at the Estadio do Dragao.
However, it was a statement night for one of Rangers’ statement signings in the summer – Filip Helander, who thwarted the opposition with his commanding presence at the back and threw his body on the line on numerous occasions to block several goal-bound efforts.
On a night were James Tavernier and Barisic were exposed numerous times defensively and Conor Goldson looked shaky at times, it was Filip Helander who held his own more than anyone else at the back.
Truth be told, the 26-year-old not only carried out his own responsibilities with utmost diligence but also made up for the mediocre performances of his comrades at the back.
The Swedish international has had his fair share of ups and downs since making the summer switch to Ibrox from Italian outfit Bologna. Goldson has been a permanent fixture at the back for Rangers, with Gerrard rotating Helander and Nikola Katic in the Scottish Premiership games.
Gerrard, though, has given Helander the nod ahead of Katic on the European nights, with the summer recruit starting each of Rangers’ three outings in the group stages of the Europa League this term.
Having struggled to make his presence felt against Feyenoord and Young Boys in the first couple of games, Helander put all his disappointment behind him to put in a monumentous defensive display.
Keeping a powerful centre-forward like Marega at bay is no mean feat and the Swede definitely deserves plenty of plaudits for his doggedness, commitment and desire.
Helander’s incredible defensive display against Porto is backed up by the numbers as well. As per whoscored, the 26-year-old made a total of 11 clearances and chipped in with 1 tackle and 2 interceptions.
Furthermore, he was also top-notch in terms of composure in possession, playing as many as 6 successful long passes and managing an incredible pass success rate of 93.3%.
Gerrard has had to face some criticism for spending a sizable portion of his summer budget on Filip Helander but the Swedish star couldn’t have come good for Rangers at a better time.
The summer arrival finally announced himself on the big stage and was instrumental in securing a point for his team, which might ultimately go a long way towards securing qualification to the knockout rounds from a tough group.