Lyon ace Maxence Caqueret has thanked Rangers winger Vaclav Cerny for his incredible open goal miss. And he reckons if the Czech star had scored the sitter, the Europa League match could have been different.
Rangers slumped to a 4-1 defeat to Lyon in the second game of the tournament but they were punished when Cerny somehow blasted over an empty goal in the early stages of the game and Malick Fofana netted the opener moments later for the French side. And Caqueret reckons the miss changed the game.
He said: “It was actually a complicated start for us. They missed a huge chance early on and that could have changed the whole match. Then we had to make two substitutions through injury in the first half so it was difficult for us. Rangers could have hurt us at that point.
“The open goal miss definitely helped us because it gave us a slap in the face and we came alive after that. So thanks for the miss! After that, I think we were by far the better side. I thought Malick Fofana was incredible. He has a magnificent mentality, he’s a hard worker. He’s aware of his qualities, which is important. His preparation was good, and you can see it in his performances. He delivered a complete performance in Glasgow. He’s also a good listener and he takes advice from everyone. With the talent he has, he can go a long way in the game.”
Meanwhile, madcap Steaua Bucharest owner Gica Becali handed his players a £3,000 bonus for their latest win in the Europa League. And he then announced he wouldn’t be travelling to Scotland for their next match against Rangers because he would ‘coach them from his bed.’
Rangers face the Romanian side next in the third set of fixtures in the Europa League. Steaua are owned by controversial businessman and former politician Becali – who was jailed for three years after a corruption scandal 11 years ago and has frequently admitted to picking the Steaua team himself and interfering with team selection. But he was quick to reward his team for their win against PAOK in Greece this week.
He said: “I announced to the entire squad after the game every one of them would receive £3,000 each for the win. That’s the players and the staff. They made the whole of Romania happy. They are a team of winners and they deserve to be rewarded. I’m not going to go to Glasgow for the next game against Rangers.
“I intend to watch it in bed. This team are so good we can beat Rangers from my bed. Of course I will give instructions to the team as usual, but I will do it in bed. This would be unprecedented in football – I will be the first ever leader to coach a team from my bed! There is no need for me to travel to Glasgow. We can beat them with me in Romania.”