Rangers set their bar with statement Euro win - with a surprise man of the match

Malmo have been Rangers’ bete noire in the Champions League but not this time, not in the Europa League. This 2-0 victory away in Sweden could be the catalyst for the Ibrox club’s season given its importance.

The Allsvenskan title holders, famed for their relationism style of play, were dealt a dose of realism by Rangers in their own backyard. Had Philippe Clement’s men won by four or five goals, there would have been no complaints from the meek hosts. Goalkeeper Jack Butland did not have a save to make.

Nedim Bajrami scored after just 56 seconds to give Rangers a dream start. They passed up some glorious opportunities in between that strike and Ross McCausland's settler on 76 minutes that spared the blushes of Vaclav Cerny and Cyriel Dessers, the two chief culprits in the profligacy stakes. In the end, such moments did not matter.

Rangers looked a cohesive, slick and threatening team in attack and in defence, they were robust. Malmo had a couple of decent forays forward in the second period, but the two visiting centre-halves in John Souttar and Robin Propper kept Isaac Thelin so quiet, his substitution just after the break passed without notice.

Rangers were far too strong for Malmo in Sweden. | TT NEWS AGENCY/AFP via Getty Ima

The star man, though, was an unlikely candidate when the game started. Neraysho Kasanwirjo, a deadline-day signing on loan from Feyenoord, had yet to start for Rangers before this match, but was given the nod over Dujon Sterling at left-back. Given the 22-year-old Dutchman prefers to do his defending on the right-hand side, this looked a stern test in the absence of the injured Ridvan Yilmaz and suspended Jefte. He strolled it, completely at ease in his surroundings. Keen to get forward whenever possible, his only blot was sky-ing a very decent chance late on.

Rangers played some of their best football of the season in this match. Connor Barron and Mohamed Diomande were energetic and purposeful in midfield and the addition of Bajrami, the Albanian playmaker, gives them some more class in the final third. Another deadline-day signing, the ex-Sassuolo man has added panache.

Not that he could miss his opener less than a minute in. Bajrami likes striking early - he scored after 24 seconds for his country at the Euros this summer. That goal against Italy was far tougher than this one. Dessers pounced on a short backpass, rounded Johan Dahlin and while his effort hit the post, the ball rolled into the path of Bajrami and he netted into the gaping goal.

Neraysho Kasanwirjo impressed for Rangers at left-back. | TT NEWS AGENCY/AFP via Getty Ima

The rest of the first half was all Rangers. Cerny was sent through on goal by Tom Lawrence just before the interval but bearing down on Dahlin, he curled wide. Malmo improved marginally after the restart but Rangers hit them on the break constantly. Dessers did so much good work but where was his composure when he skewed horribly over the bar from inside the box? It was a bad miss.

Fortunately for him and Cerny, those incidents did not hurt Rangers. Substitute Ross McCausland cut in from the right and his drilled low effort beat Dahlin with the aid of the post. Malmo did not appear capable of scoring one goal, let alone two. The job was done.

This is the sort of result that gives Clement and his players a springboard to kick on and hit the next level. Back at a now fully reopened Ibrox, Rangers have three home games in a week to look forward to - including their next outing in this revamped competition next Thursday against Lyon. They set the bar with this performance.