Rangers' Attacking Woes Deepen in Braga Stalemate
Midfielder Connor Barron has issued a rallying cry to his Rangers teammates, insisting the entire squad must share responsibility for the club's concerning lack of firepower in front of goal. The call comes after a frustrating 1-1 draw with Braga at Ibrox, a match where the Scottish side failed to capitalise on a man advantage for the final half-hour.
A Familiar Story in Front of Goal
The Ibrox men took the lead through a James Tavernier penalty, but despite Portuguese side Braga playing the final 30 minutes with ten men after Rodrigo Zalazar's red card, Danny Rohl's team could not find a winning goal. This result extends their winless run in the group stage to five attempts.
Manager Rohl started with Youssef Chermiti partnering Danilo in attack, later introducing Bojan Miovski from the bench in a desperate search for a goal. None of the trio could find the net, continuing a worrying trend. The last time a Rangers striker scored was Danilo's goal away to Hibs on October 29.
The statistics make for grim reading: Chermiti, an £8million signing from Everton, has scored just once in 14 appearances. Danilo has three goals in 19 outings, while Miovski has only found the net twice in 16 games.
Barron Defends Strikers, Demands Unity
Despite the stark numbers, Barron, who played with Miovski at Aberdeen, was quick to deflect blame solely from the forward line. He emphasised that scoring goals is a collective duty.
"We're not just pointing fingers at the strikers," said the midfielder. "It comes from us all. We all have to be in there with goals. I know Bojan really well and he'll definitely get there. I think it's clear to see why if you've watched him over a period of time."
The night represented a massive missed opportunity for Rangers to secure their first victory in the competition. After controlling the match following Zalazar's dismissal, a horrible error by Nasser Djiga allowed Braga to snatch an unlikely point, with Gabri Martinez slotting home after the defender completely misjudged a cross.
Barron was one of the few Rangers players to earn pass marks on a frustrating evening. "We're disappointed we didn't get the three points," he added. "But I thought for large spells in the game, we were good. The frustration is not winning it when they went down to 10 men. We had a good foothold and maybe just didn't take advantage."
Looking Ahead: Falkirk and the Premiership
Attention now swiftly turns to the domestic league and the visit of in-form Falkirk. Rangers require a victory to stay in touch with Premiership leaders Hearts.
When questioned about the title race, Barron remained focused on the immediate challenge. "It's too early for me to come out and say anything about that," he stated. "We're just focused on picking up maximum points from our next run of games. It feels like we're going in the right direction, certainly in the league, 100 per cent."
The immediate task is clear: Rangers must rediscover their scoring touch, and as Barron insists, it's a problem the whole team must solve together.
