Scottish catenaccio and infiltration of the stands - How Rangers' defeat to RB Leipzig was reported by the German press

Rangers were compared to the ultra-defensive Italian teams of old as the German press passed verdict on Thursday’s Europa League semi-final first leg defeat to RB Leipzig.

Missing his two main goalscorers Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe through injury, Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst adopted a pragmatic approach to the tie, lining up with five across the back and no recognised striker in a ploy to contain the Bundesliga side.

It worked for most of the match as Rangers, while creating very little themselves, limited their hosts to few opportunities before eventually conceding in the 85th minute to a well-executed long-range strike from Angeliño, volleying a headed clearance beyond Allan McGregor from oustide the box.

Despite the loss of the late goal, the tie is very much alive heading into the next week’s second leg at Ibrox, where a more attack-minded Rangers side are likely to line up as they look to overturn the deficit and reach their first European final since 2008.

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German tabloid Bild were unimpressed with Rangers, describing them as “much too harmless up front” while poking fun at 40-year-old goalkeeper Allan McGregor, describing him as “Glasgow’s grey grandpa”.

Süddeutsche Zeitung compared the Scottish side’s tactics to the ‘catenaccio’ – a tactical system used by Italian sides with a strong emphasis on defence.

They wrote: “The Glasgow Rangers appeared all in blue - and behaved as if they wanted to be the Scottish version of the most defensive Italian squad to make an impression on history. It took a full quarter of an hour before they played their way up to half of Leipzig. Conversely, their defensive bar, obviously inspired by Italian catenaccio, was so impenetrable that the Leipzig team, who started with the three-man attack but without a clearly defined point, never had a clear view when they made it into their guests' penalty area.”

Rangers fans light flares prior to the UEFA Europa League semi-final first leg against RB Leipzig in Germany. (Photo by JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images)

The newspaper also pointed to the vast numbers of Rangers fans inside the RB Arena, referencing the close relationship with Hamburger SV fans, which stretches back to the 1970s, and which allowed the travelling support to “infiltrate” the ground.

“Glasgow Rangers and Hamburger SV have enjoyed a fan friendship that has blossomed again on Thursday. A number of Scottish fans, with the help of their Hanseatic friends, stocked up on an impressive number of tickets for the semi-final first leg of the Europa League at RB Leipzig. The level of infiltration of the stands was remarkable, but not quite as high as in Eintracht Frankfurt's recent game at FC Barcelona. And unlike Frankfurt, the Scots didn't take a win as a souvenir - but a defeat. RB Leipzig won 1-0 with a late dream goal from left-back Angeliño. And can now feel very close to the Europa League final in Seville, Andalusia (May 18).”

Die Welt, meanwhile, branded the match a snooze-fest, writing: “The chants of the two fan camps were what kept the neutral spectators awake in the first half. The Rangers defended their penalty area with eight professionals, Leipzig diligently practiced cross passes with more than 70 percent ball possession - which initially gave the game an enormous potential to fall asleep.”

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