'What a bang': Rangers defeat to Leipzig assessed by German press and world media as Angelino volley beats 'Glasgow's grey Grandpa'

Into the final four of the Europa League, the eyes of the football world were trained on the Rangers performance during last night’s semi-final in Leipzig.

Angelino’s 85th minute volley swung the match in the German hosts’ favour – but the watching world media, and local press agreed with the feeling amongst the Scottish champions’ fans that the tie was far from over.

Rangers’ defensive discipline in restricting Domenico Tedesco’s team to so few opportunities was highlighted across the board, with Giovanni van Bronkchorst’s side ravaged by injury in attack, but the goal “can only do the game good,” according to Sudeutsch Zeitung’s report, “because in front of their own fans, the Scottish champions cannot build up 90 minutes around their own penalty area if they want to reach the final in Seville on May 18th.” It quoted Tedesco: “The Rangers have to play differently at some point. At some point they have to come.”

Spanish sports paper La Marca added: “The Scottish side have it all to do back at Ibrox next week as they seek to secure a first European final since 2008.”

The defensive duties were compared to the noisy away support in Die Welt who wrote: “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 practised cross passes with more than 70 percent ball possession - which initially gave the game an enormous potential to fall asleep.”

Far from disparaging the visitors’ tactics, they were equally critical of RB’s attack, describing Angelino’s strike: “In the 85th minute, the Spaniard took aim from 20m and gave the dominant but long unimaginative hosts a much-celebrated 1-0 victory.”

It was a finish fit to win a game and though the former Man City player claimed he had previously scored better Robert Schreier in Die Bild exclaimed: “What a bang!” to beat Allan McGregor, later described as “Glasgow’s grey grandpa”.

That it was the Spaniard who eventually broke Rangers’ resolve and not Leipzig’s talisman Christopher Nkunku was a focus for the tabloid and French outlet L’Equipe.

The final score between RB Leipzig and Rangers is seen on the display at Red Bull Arena. (Photo by JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images)

It wrote: “Nkunku never stopped proposing solutions and provoking the defence. In vain. His teammates did not take over before the brilliant and late opener of the left piston Angelino.

"Leipzig had overall control of the ball and the game against a close-knit Scots who had clearly come to Germany to play the draw and the counters. Result: not a shot on target at the break, the first having taken place in the 53rd minute on an attempt by Nkunku, always him.”

Schreier added: “For a long time it looks like a 0:0 because Leipzig superstar Christopher Nkunku missed a huge opportunity. In the 70th minute, the Frenchman rounded Glasgow's grey goalkeeper grandpa McGregor (40), but hit the ball wide of the corner, fitting the striker's current losing streak: he hasn't scored for over 300 minutes. Before that, he scored 30 in 3501 minutes, meaning a goal every 117 minutes.

“Glasgow, who threw out Borussia Dortmund in February, was much too harmless up front.

“The final will take place in Seville on May 18th. But for that, Leipzig still has to survive the second leg in the legendary Rangers stadium Ibrox Park next Thursday.”