Rangers 3-0 Viktoria Plzen: Martin´s men establish control of Champions League qualifying tie

Rangers will take a commanding lead into the second leg of their Champions League third-round qualification tie against Viktoria Plzen after thrashing the Czech side 3-0 at Ibrox in the first leg.

Russell Martin was seething with Rangers’ performance as they started the Scottish Premiership season with a 1-1 draw at Motherwell on Saturday, saying members of their squad needed to “drop their egos”.

However, he was treated to a far better performance from his new side on Tuesday, with Djeidi Gassama scoring their 14th-minute opener after a give-and-go with Cyriel Dessers.

Dessers got their second just before half-time, slotting home from the penalty spot after Oliver Antman was nudged over in the area by visiting captain Matej Vydra.

Rangers continued to hunt goals after the break but had to settle for just one more, with Gassama nodding home when left unmarked from Antman’s right-wing cross.

Martin’s team now have one foot in the play-off round ahead of next Tuesday’s second leg in Czechia, with Salzburg or Club Brugge awaiting if they advance.

Full-Time: Rangers 3-0 FC Viktoria Plzeň | #UCL

Three goals at Ibrox in tonight’s first-leg victory. pic.twitter.com/ABmwVoN9SY

— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) August 5, 2025

Data Debrief: Gassama’s strong start continues

It is fair to say Gassama has hit the ground running since arriving from Sheffield Wednesday last month, having scored in all three of the Gers’ Champions League qualifiers to date.

Having netted in both legs of their 3-1 aggregate success against Panathinaikos, Gassama now has four goals in just three European matches for Martin’s team.

Vaclav Cerny (six in the Europa League) was the only Gers player to score more than four goals in European competition throughout the entire 2024-25 campaign.