Euro round-up: Rangers put three past Viktoria Plzen
The Gers boss hit out at some of his squad following their deflating 1-1 draw at Motherwell on Saturday, questioning mentality, egos and application, and captain James Tavernier and midfielder Nicolas Raskin were the biggest names among the expected changes.
Martin got the required reaction as winger Djeidi Gassama scored after 15 minutes with his third European goal in three ties before returning striker Cyriel Dessers added a second from the spot just before the interval.
Gassama, signed this summer from Sheffield Wednesday, scored a third in the 51st minute to put the Govan side into a commanding lead and eventually a comfortable win.
The Light Blues will be heavy favourites for the return game in the Czech Republic next Tuesday, with a play-off tie against Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg or Club Brugge of Belgium awaiting the winners.
Elsewhere, in the Champions League qualifiers, Qarabag, who beat Shelbourne in the last round, enjoyed a 1-0 away win against KF Shkendija, while Dynamo Kyiv lost 1-0 at in Lublin against Cyprus side Pafos. Malmo and Copenhagen played out a scoreless draw in their first leg.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Shamrock Rovers dealt double blow with key stars to miss BOTH legs of Conference League qualifier clash against Ballkani
Three other players will miss the away leg WHAT A SHAME Shamrock Rovers dealt double blow with key stars to miss BOTH legs of Conference League qualifier clash against Ballkani SHAMROCK ROVERS will be without midfielders Jack Byrne and Aaron McEneff for both home and away legs against Ballkani in the Conference League. The Hoops are in Kosovo ahead of tomorrow's away leg but travelled without some key men through injury. 2 Shamrock Rovers will be without some big names for the Conference League clash against Ballkani Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile 2 Jack Byrne and Aaron McEneff, not pictured, will not feature in either leg Credit: Tyler Miller/Sportsfile Graham Burke, Matt Healy and Trevor Clarke were not part of the travelling party because of injury but are expected to be available next week. But Byrne, who also missed Sunday's win over Derry City, and McEneff are not listed in the squad for the tie, which means they cannot feature next week even if fit. Boss Bradley explained: 'Should you get through to the next round, you can name another squad then. 'Obviously, when you get to the league phase, it's locked in and you can't do anything. But with this, you can change two players up to the day before the game. 'We might not pick up any injuries, but we could well pick up injuries over the next two weeks and the whole picture changes again. 'But it does give you that freedom when it's gone round to round rather than locked in for the league phase. 'If it was the last game of the season and you're going to win the league, it was a cup final, I'm sure they would all be available to play. 'But we're in a position that we've got a really good squad and everybody's ready to play. And we don't need to take silly risks with players.' The absence of five big names is a blow, though Bradley knows his squad has strength in depth for the clash, and the experience. His side made League of Ireland history last year by progressing through the group phase, having already reached the groups in 2022. Shamrock Rovers snap up Northern Ireland Under-21s goal-getter as Stephen Bradley gives exciting verdict But on both occasions they had the 'champions' path' which meant a safety net if knocked out of the Champions League while this year they must win every tie. Bradley added: 'That's the beauty of the Champions path. And not having that, we knew it was going to be difficult. 'And what I said at the start, our aim is to get into the group phase, the league phase. That's our aim.'
Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Shamrock Rovers missing key players through injury for Ballkani clash in Kosovo
Stephen Bradley is adamant Shamrock Rovers can reach another European League phase - by doing it the hard way. But the Hoops' cause in Kosovo on Thursday won't be helped by the absence of key figures from their will face Ballkani without Graham Burke, Jack Byrne, Matt Healy, Aaron McEneff and Trevor Clarke who all have injury Healy and Clarke are all registered in Rovers' squad that had to be submitted to UEFA for this tie, meaning they can feature in the home leg next week if Byrne and McEneff are not on the UEFA list, so they won't be available for the second-leg at Tallaght Bradley feels there is such strength in depth to his squad these days that the absence of those leading lights doesn't constitute an injury crisis. Their absence just opens the door for the likes of new midfielder Connor Malley - snapped up on loan from Sligo Rovers - who made his debut against Derry on Sunday. Click this link or scan the QR code to receive the latest League of Ireland news and top stories from the Irish Mirror. 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 . Bradley said in Kosovo: 'They're top players and if it was the last game of the season and you're going for the league, or a cup final, I'm sure they would all be available. Aaron McEneff, seen here in action against St Joseph's of Gibraltar in the previous round, is out of Shamrock Rovers' European game in Kosovo (Image: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne) 'But we're in a position that we've got a really good squad and everybody's ready to play, and we don't need to take silly risks with players.'Last year, we had to do that. We were forced into that because of the injury situation and, as a result, we kept re-injuring the players.'That's not fair on them or the group or the team and right now, we're in a place where the squad is healthy and everybody's looking to play.'We don't need to take chances with players that have niggles or who are borderline fit. We don't need to take those chances and sit on a plane for three-and-a-half hours.'Rovers want to get back to the Conference League league phase, having reached the playoff round in February only to lose on penalties to having missed out on the Premier Division title last season, they don't have the benefit of the 'champions path' in Europe, currently being enjoyed by this tie, and Rovers will be sent packing but Bradley feels the experience his team has gained in Europe will stand to said: 'We knew it was going to be hard but our aim is to get into the group phase, the league phase. Can we do it? Time will tell, but for now it's about getting ready for a tough tie and getting through that.'Shamrock Rovers defender Dan Cleary echoed Bradley, by insisting the players can rise to the challenge of securing another prolonged run in said: 'We don't have the champions path, so it's everything or nothing. Mentally, it's obviously different, but we're still doing the same thing. 'We want to win tonight, bring it back to Tallaght next week and take them on. We can't look too far ahead because it's a big game tonight and these are a good side.' Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
‘We had some good chats' – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirms FAI approached him about succeeding Stephen Kenny
And as the former Manchester United manager returns to Ireland for a Europa Conference League tie between his Besiktas outfit and St Patrick's Athletic, he has dismissed any suggestion that the third round tie is a "free hit" for the Dublin club, with the Tottenham-bound Mason Melia a threat to his team, he fears. The Norwegian was one of the names in the frame in the long wait between the end of Kenny's reign as Ireland coach and the recruitment of Heimir Hallgrimsson, and while sources close to Solskjaer played down the reports at the time, he said in Dublin on the eve of that clash with Kenny's outfit that he was in touch. "After him [Kenny], the Irish FA asked me if I wanted to be their coach. I had some good conversations. It didn't turn out that way, I am happy where I am now. We had some good chats," he said of his dealings with the FAI. Solskjaer had the perfect outcome the last time he managed a team against Irish opposition, wins home and away with two clean sheets when his Molde outfit knocked Sligo Rovers out of the Champions League 12 years ago. But he has done his homework on the Saints, having studied their tussle with Istanbul rivals Basaksekir last year, and is wary. St Pat's are hoping that ticket sales, at the 7,000 mark on the eve of the game, can edge closer to a 10,000 sellout. Besiktas took up their allocation of 500 tickets for home-based fans but many more are expected to attend, from the Turkish community in Ireland and the UK. 'Well, if you think we think we are better than them, you're wrong, because we respect absolutely every opponent, I'm sure they want to win, expect to win. At Manchester United, Cardiff City, Molde, Besiktas, I expected my players to win, whoever they played against and I am sure they will feel the same. "Last year, they [St Pat's] got one step further than this, I am sure they want to do that, I wouldn't call anything a free hit in football anymore," he said when asked by the Irish Independent if the tie was indeed a free hit for Besiktas. The former United man also backed Melia (17) to prosper at Tottenham when he moves over in January, Solklsjaer having spied on Melia as recently as last Sunday's win away to Waterford. "When you perform at that level at 17, definitely, of course," he said when asked if Melia had Premier League quality. "You see a mature finisher, a good finisher, his movement, his goal against Waterford, the way he spun off the centre back and timed his run. I don't want to put pressure on him, I follow him as I always follow young players, when you see them early you follow their careers. I've got a few decent players from Ireland that I played with, so I am fond of Irish players," he said. 'He is a proper No. 9, he can play off the shoulder, very good at link play, he can come short as well, he's a good finisher. He's got the world ahead of him, I am sure he will have a very good career. I wish him all the best after eight or nine days from now." Solskjaer came into the tie under scrutiny back in Turkey after a 6-2 aggregate loss to Shakhtar Donetsk, which dumped Besiktas out of the Europa League with a drop into the Conference League but he says he can deal with it. 'Pressure is a privilege, it's something we thrive on underneath, we need it to play at our best," he said, his club with a new signing in the last 24 hours with the €9m purchase of Wilfried Ndidi from Leicester City. "When results go against you, you don't enjoy that period but it's a chance to show character, show individual character, and it's a bumpy road, football and you have to manoeuvre it and accept it. If you don't get results, there will be criticism, if you win every day you are still not perfect. We are in all the tournaments to win, every single game, we want to go as far as we possibly can, going to the final, that is our dream."
