Rangers duo 'phenomenal' against Steaua in Europa League demolition as Steven Thompson purs over rampant rout
Steven Thompson could not hide his adoration for Rangers duo Connor Barron and Nicolas Raskin as the Light Blues tore Steaua Bucharest to shreds in Thursday's 4-0 Europa League win - naming the duo as 'phenomenal' for their relentless work in the centre of midfield at Ibrox.
The Gers needed a win to boost their confidence after a disappointing 1-0 loss at Kilmarnock on Sunday afternoon, and despite an early Jack Butland scare, they put their foot down from the off with Tom Lawrence opening the scoring. It got better from there as a Vaclav Cerny double either side of half time killed the tie off, with Hamza Igamane getting in on the act with his first Rangers goal to satisfy Ibrox's needs on what could have been a tricky night under the Govan lights.
But away from the goalscorers, it was Barron and Raskin that earned plaudits from Thompson for their midfield work, stating that the duo 'particularly impressed' before hyping them as 'phenomenal' in what was a much-needed performance from Philippe Clement's side.
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Speaking on BBC Sportsound, Thompson was complimentary about almost all of the Rangers side - but with special mentions in particular to Barron and Raskin, who won the duels in midfield to keep the defence at ease and the Light Blues on the front foot. He said:
“You can only beat what’s in front of you, and Rangers from the off showed a completely different side to them that they showed on Sunday. They were so at it, so up for the game with the tempo they played at and the demands they put on each other to go and press the ball.
“The midfield particularly impressed. I think Connor Barron, and in beside him [Nico] Raskin, the amount of work those two got through in the middle tonight was phenomenal in terms of putting the Romanians under severe pressure - and it forced mistakes all night for them.
“[Vaclav] Cerny deserved an awful lot of credit for his finishes, and for the defence, obviously keeping clean sheet is really important. It can be difficult to do in European games as we well know, but they won’t have an easier night in a European game as a back four, that’s for sure.”