Joe Rothwell urges Rangers to kill off Panathinaikos tie
Russell Martin's men struggled for the most part before decisive goals from 19-year-old Findlay Curtis and debutant Djeidi Gassama, either side of Panathinaikos right-back Giorgos Vagiannidis receiving his marching orders after picking up the second of two yellow cards for a foul on Curtis.
Ahead of the second leg in Athens – which follows a friendly against Middlesbrough at Ibrox on Saturday – Rothwell was asked if the Light Blues can feel in command of the tie.
'I think we have to now, yeah,' he said.
'Obviously, 2-0, it's a good scoreline, especially in this format.
'So we'll go out there and obviously we won't be looking to defend it. We'll try and go out there and win the game and score as many goals as we can.
'It (2-0 win) can be huge. I think he (Martin) said in his press conference, it was not going to be a season-defining game but we wanted to go out there and put a show on and really show how he wants to do things.
'I think we managed to do that, controlled the game as we like to do and just a bit disappointed that we didn't go and probably kill the game off a little bit more.'
The Light Blues should have been behind before Curtis opened the scoring in the 52nd minute, with Martin having to settle his new charges down at the interval before an improved performance in the second half.
Rothwell said: 'He said to just stick to what we do.
'We went away from it a little bit, in terms of how we want to play, and in the first 10, 15 (minutes) I think we started the game really well and then probably came away from it a little bit.
'And then obviously with them going down to 10 men, we've managed to control the game and probably disappointed we didn't probably get a few more in the end, but we can't complain, it's a win and we take a lead over there.'
Rothwell was impressed and inspired by his first taste of a European night at Ibrox.
He said: 'Loved it. Obviously you hear stories from the outside, but when you actually get out there and experience it, it's fantastic and I'm sure the fans are going to be behind us in every single game and we'll need them.
'There'll be times where it might be a bit tough for us, but I'm sure they'll get behind us and then get us over the finish line.
'I think you can really see what the manager wants us to do and how we want to play and I thought it was obviously another good test for us and we came through it in the end.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
32 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Liverpool transfer news: Harvey Elliott sends farewell message and Alexander Isak update
Arne Slot has overseen a number of ins and outs during his second summer transfer window as Liverpool manager and there could yet be more to come in the next few weeks Liverpool get their Premier League season underway against Bournemouth a week tomorrow, and the Reds have already had a very busy transfer window. They might not be done just yet, though, with options remaining in two key areas. One of those is in attack, where the rejected bid for Alexander Isak points to a desire for further reinforcements. With Darwin Nunez drawing closer to an exit, we could see the Isak situation continue to run. Arne Slot is also keen on a new centre-back after Jarell Quansah's move to Bayer Leverkusen. Ibrahima Konate only has one year left on his contract, though he could yet sign an extension, while Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez each have two. There have also been a number of exits. Trent Alexander-Arnold might be the highest-profile star to move on, with Luis Diaz the most expensive sale, while Tyler Morton has also left Anfield. Harvey Elliott could soon his name to that list, with RB Leipzig keen on the youngster. Here are Mirror Football 's latest lines on the Anfield ins and outs. Elliott's farewell message Harvey Elliott has shared a moving message for Tyler Morton after the midfielder's Liverpool exit. Morton, who won the Under-21 Euros with Elliott over the summer, has completed a permanent move to Lyon. "My brother @tylermorton6. So proud my mate!! Deserve it more than anyone," Elliott wrote, along with two red heart emojis. Elliott has also taken stock of his own future, but has yet to make a decision amid interest from RB Leipzig. "I just want to improve and be the best possible version of myself. If that's to go somewhere else, then it's a decision that I'm going to have to make and I just need to see what happens," he said earlier in the year. "Nothing makes me want to leave. I love the club, I love the fans, the team. I support them as well. But most importantly, it's just about what's best for my career." Howe comments on Isak Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has provided an update on Alexander Isak. The striker is back in the North East, but was kept away from a bonding session to which players' families were invited. 'The player has a responsibility here to be part of a team and part of a squad and you have to act in the right way. No player can expect to act poorly and train with the group as normal," Howe said. Sweden striker Isak was training in Spain as he recovered from a minor injury, missing out on pre-season action in the process. It remains to be seen whether he is still a Newcastle player when the new season starts. Nunez on his way Al-Hilal look to have won the race for Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez. The Uruguayan international had appeared to favour a European stay, but instead looks poised to move to the Saudi Pro League. Reports suggest a fee of £46million has been agreed. That marks a loss on what the Reds paid Benfica for his services in 2022, even without any of the potential add-ons included in the deal. Nunez, 26, has 25 goals in 95 Premier League outings for Liverpool - many of those games coming as a substitute. He played just over 1,100 league minutes last term, returning five goals and three assists. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Scotsman
6 hours ago
- Scotsman
Hibs braced for hostile Belgrade 'Gravediggers' as David Gray explains Thibault Klidje situation
Place in Conference League playoff at stake Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Rip away all the noise and nonsense, the sound and fury that make European competition so reliably fascinating for those with a dog in the fight, and there is still a game of football to be played. Hibs will need to remember that as they take to the field in front of 30,000 roaring Serbs at the Partizan Stadion on Thursday night. Against a team whose supporters revel in the nickname of 'The Gravediggers', David Gray's men must not allow themselves to be buried under the avalanche of animosity likely to come tumbling down from the stands here. They have to impose their own game upon a young Partizan side still developing as a European force. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad At stake is a place in the UEFA Conference League play-offs where qualification for the league phase will be up for grabs. Something Hibs thought was already in their possession not so long ago, only for Aberdeen to rip that prize from their grasp courtesy of an odds-defying Scottish Cup win over Celtic. Hibs expect a hostile reception from Partizan Belgrade fans on Thursday night. (Photo by) | Getty Images Partizan, knocked out of the Europa League on penalties by Larnaca but handsome Conference League conquerors of Ukrainian wanders Oleksandriya last time out, represent a formidable enough challenge. But not the most fearsome opposition ever laid before a Scottish club at this stage of qualification. 'Firstly, you expect it to be quite a hostile environment, one that the players maybe haven't experienced before,' said Hibs manager Gray, whose team took Midtjylland deep into extra time at Easter Road before suffering their own Europa League exit last week, the former club captain adding: 'Some of them might have, but going over there, it's a different environment, it's a bit hostile and from what I've seen, a very intense, aggressive nature. 'So discipline is going to be a big thing as well from our players in making sure we do things properly. It's another brilliant test against a top side and we know we need to be at our very best. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It's no different from the Midtjylland test, which was a difficult one, but we need to take confidence from that. I say to the players all the time, you need to believe you can go over there and get a result, and if they were doubting or weren't fully believing before the first leg over in Denmark, they certainly were when they came home, which shows the level of performance and the level of quality we've got as well.' Partizan are aware of the threat posed by Hibs striker Kieron Bowie, whose double secured a 2-0 win over Dundee on Sunday. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group) | SNS Group Hibs certainly boast top-line quality in their starting XI, with Partizan boss Srdjan Blagojevic singling out stand-in skipper Martin Boyle as the one to watch. Although, among the Belgrade media corps attending the MD-1 event at the Partizan Stadion yesterday, the name of Kieron Bowie was also given a frequent airing; it's impossible to sneak that sort of bruising talent under the radar against even the most lax opposition. And Partizan are no slouches. As for the options available to Gray as the game goes on, well, there is some strength in depth. Even if it will take a while for latest signing Grant Hanley to get up to speed. Record signing situation explained On that subject, might Hibs finally get a proper look at record signing Thibault Klidje? Having cost the Easter Road club over £1 million, there's a natural clamour to see what the Togolese international striker has to offer. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Gray is prone to caution on that subject, however, stressing: "Yeah, I understand that as soon as you see the price, people talk about getting him in the team. But the boys are obviously doing well, and I don't want to push him either. 'The expectation is one thing, but he needs to settle. He needs to get used to me and the way we're working and get used to the intensity, because it's a different way of playing. "I've noticed he's really settled around the group now, which is pleasing. Coming to a foreign country, the players have made him feel really welcome, which is great. He's getting used to my accent slightly, which is probably good for him as well, and he's got his own place now. "He's starting to settle a lot quicker, and I'm sure we'll see a lot of improvement from him pretty quickly. But I'm not putting too much pressure on him right now. We're just going to make sure that we keep progressing when we can.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Hibs fans have seen little of record summer signing Thibault Klidje thus far. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group) | SNS Group Hibs really rattled Midtjylland in the opening exchanges of their first leg at the tidy-but-tame MCH Arena, attacking with intent and taking an early lead through Jamie McGrath's cheeky free-kick. But, of course, that desire to really test opponents, not the worst tactic if Hibs are to put the Gravediggers in a sombre mood from the off, only works if you've got the defensive strength to avoid conceding a crazy number of chances at the other end. "Yeah, I think we've demonstrated that a few times now,' said Gray. 'The defensive organisation needs to be there. That's the most important side to it. 'We'll always have players who can score goals. And defence is not always the back five or the back three. The defence starts right at the very front. 'I think we saw that against Dundee at the weekend. The front two, Martin Boyle and Kieron Bowie, really worked hard with Junior Hoilett in behind them. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The effort that goes into that, the organisation behind the ball, it's something that we do work a lot on. It's a massive part of the game because tactically, the players are really switched on nowadays, at every level. "We need to be ready for that, even more so in Europe. It's a bit of an unknown because you don't watch these teams week in, week out. "But the hard work goes in from our point of view to make sure we educate the players to know exactly what the challenge is and then put a game plan in place that we feel gives us the best chance to win the game.
Belfast Telegraph
7 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
It's unfair to enforce seasonal change and play during summer when most of the Irish League is part-time: Chris Shields
Linfield warrior Chris Shields has argued it would be unfair and wrong to enforce summer football on part-time Irish League players. Speaking during Linfield's European odyssey in the summer of 2025, Shields has reiterated his caution about any change to the Premiership fixtures calendar.
