Skipper James Tavernier believes Rangers’ 2-0 win over Ross County in Dingwall on Saturday sets them up for their crunch Champions League play-off tie against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday night.
Striker Kemar Roofe, hampered by injury problems during his time at Ibrox, was handed his first start in 16 months and scored the opener after 22 minutes with his first goal since February.
Tavernier added a stunning second four minutes later with a strike from distance for his third goal in the first six games of the season and attacker Tom Lawrence, out for a year with a knee injury, made his return off the bench in the second half to offer boss Michael Beale another boost.
Ahead of their trip to the Netherlands, where the Light Blues take a 2-2 draw from the first leg at Ibrox, right-back Tavernier was pleased with his goal and the day overall.
He told RangersTV: “It was a quick interception, I was driving and I saw Kemar make a run to take the player away and my eyes lit up when I saw the goal. I am really happy it went in.
“Kem is a really good player for us – as is Tom Lawrence – and to have those two back in the squad fully fit is only going to make us stronger so I am delighted to see them back on the pitch and Kem starting and getting his goal.
“We need all the players to chip in this season. It was really important to go there and get the three points.
“I was delighted we got the clean sheet and I thought we were really dominant in possession in the first-half performance, and in the second half, we probably let them back into the game more than what we should have, but we kept a clean sheet and towards the end, Abdallah (Sima) made an unbelievable header to keep it that way.
“So I am really pleased and it puts us in good stead for the PSV game.
“It is a big week ahead – we will look forward to the game at PSV – we know it is going to be a tough game but we are coming off the back of a win and a clean sheet so hopefully we can do the same over there.”
Ross County boss Malky Mackay thought the difference in finishing was key to the three points going to Govan but he was happy to see midfielder Yan Dhanda back in action following the hip injury which led him to miss last week’s Viaplay Cup win over Airdrieonians.
He said: “I thought he was excellent. No matter any time he was near the ball he showed real quality.
“He is a top player who drives us forward and he has real nerve to make sure he wants the ball over the park. He is someone who is going to help us massively this season.”
Bristol City Women 0-4 Man City Women: Hosts relegated as Fowler double inspires WSL leaders
Mary Fowler scored twice to set WSL leaders Manchester City on their way to a 4-0 rout of Bristol City, who suffered relegation as a result, on Sunday.
With Arsenal having drawn with Everton earlier in the day, Man City knew a victory would be enough to take the title race down to two teams.
That victory duly arrived in emphatic fashion, with all four of Man City's goals arriving in the second half.
Fowler's fantastic strike opened the scoring in the 62nd minute, with the Australia international doubling her tally soon after, paving the way for an Amy Rodgers own goal and Alex Greenwood's late header to seal a huge victory.
Arsenal are now out of the title race, with Chelsea - who have two games in hand on Gareth Taylor's team - the only side capable of catching Man City.
The Robins, meanwhile, will be playing in the second tier again next term.
Data Debrief: Bristol heading down with a whimper
Bristol City have failed to score in their last five games in the WSL, a run of 544 minutes without a goal.
They mustered just 0.09 expected goals (xG) to Man City's 3.4, with the visitors having now kept a clean sheet in nine of their 20 league games this season.
De Rossi demands more from 'tired' Roma ahead of crunch run
Daniele De Rossi acknowledged his Roma team may be tired, but he insisted they must not allow themselves to be embarrassed.
Roma fought back to draw 2-2 with last season's Serie A champions Napoli in a pulsating fixture on Sunday.
Tammy Abraham's late header secured a point for De Rossi's team, who took the lead through Paulo Dybala's penalty before going behind to goals from Matias Olivera and Victor Osimhen.
With Serie A set to have five teams in the Champions League next season, Roma occupy fifth spot with four matches remaining, but sixth-placed Atalanta are just two points behind with a game in hand.
There is also the small matter of a Europa League semi-final against Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen on the cards over the coming weeks, and De Rossi set the stall out.
"We drew, it is not a result to throw away, but it is not the result or the performance that we wanted," Roma coach Daniele De Rossi told Sky Sports Italia.
"At times you can steal the ball off Napoli, but we then gave it back again too many times. Napoli had a lot of chances in the first half, we did better in the second, but we have to do better.
"Look, we are tired, but we cannot start thinking that we’re tired and that means we can be embarrassed in the final few weeks of the season."
Roma host Leverkusen on Thursday before taking on Juventus on May 5, with a crunch clash against Atalanta – who are also into the Europa League semi-finals – set to follow after the away leg against Xabi Alonso's team.
Key to a successful end to the campaign for Roma will be keeping Dybala fit. The Argentine has been involved in the joint-most goals (12) in Serie A since the turn of the year, scoring nine and setting up three, level with Juve's Dusan Vlahovic.
PSG's latest Ligue 1 title arrives as Monaco lose to Lyon
Paris Saint-Germain have been crowned as Ligue 1 champions after Lyon overcame Monaco 3-2 on Sunday.
A 4-1 midweek win over Lorient ensured that one more victory would be enough for Luis Enrique's team to get over the line, but PSG failed to get the job done themselves when they faced relegation-threatened Le Havre on Saturday.
That game was the 700th match of the QSI era at PSG, and the club's 1,900th in France's top flight.
However, PSG's wait to win their third straight title did not last long, as less than 24 hours later, Lyon – who will face the Parisians in the final of the Coupe de France at the end of May – came out on top in a topsy turvy encounter with second-placed Monaco.
Substitute Malick Fofana was the matchwinner for Lyon, and ultimately the player who handed the title to PSG.
Wissam Ben Yedder had put Monaco ahead in the opening minute, but quickfire goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Said Benrahma turned the match on its head before half-time.
Ben Yedder netted his second to restore parity on the hour mark, and thought he had sealed his hat-trick when he volleyed in from a free-kick, only to have strayed offside.
With only a win good enough for Monaco to stay in the fight, the visitors were then caught out in the 84th minute, with Fofana racing onto Lacazette's throughball and finishing calmly.
After a dismal start to the season, relegation looked a real possibility for Lyon, but they are now, with three games remaining, still in with a shout of qualifying for Europe.
PSG on the other hand now have 12 Ligue 1 titles to their name, with 10 of those coming under QSI's ownership. Aside from the COVID-impacted 2019-20 season, five of their last six league titles have been secured before the start of May.
It also means Luis Enrique remains in the running for a treble in his first season at the club, with PSG taking on Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League semi-finals next week.
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