Van Bronckhorst happy as Rangers adapt to his ideas in Lyon draw

Giovanni van Bronckhorst was happy his Rangers side stuck to their plan against Lyon and were rewarded for their performance against the Europa League group winners.

Scott Wright’s deflected shot put Rangers ahead before half-time in France but Calvin Bassey turned a low shot into his own net to level the scores.

Rangers had already achieved progress to the knockout stages as group runners-up but they became the first team to take points from Lyon as the French side had dominated the league games.

Van Bronckhorst said there was a lot for him to be pleased about against a top level opponent.

“We’re very happy with the performance, especially away from home in Europe which can be really tough,” the Dutchman said.

“Today we faced a tough opponent but we were very brave. When we had the ball we liked to play a possession game from the back. Many times we had the right solutions and overall I’m really happy with the performance.

“We were dominant but in the second half didn’t create so many chances in the end with some dangerous crosses but also Lyon had some chances.

I’m very happy. We came here not to defend, we came here to play our game and develop our team.

“It’s only my fifth game in charge with this team so I’m happy they are picking up my style of play and in that aspect I’m very happy with the performance.”

Rangers now turn their attention to Sunday’s match against Hearts with little time to prepare but Van Bronckhorst said the draw would lift the players as they coped with another quick turn-around.

He said: “We are flying straight back to Scotland and only have two days to prepare for the game but we’re used to it.

“The last games were followed by only two days of rest so we’ll do everything we can. Friday will be recovery and Saturday we will prepare tactically for Hearts.

“It’s a tough game away but I’m confident about my team and the performance we had today. Just now it’s a case of resting really well and be prepared for Sunday.”