5 talking points as Rangers falter in Braga to leave Europa League dream on a knife edge

Rangers' Europa League dream took a damaging but not yet fatal blow as they were beaten in Braga.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst 's side were left with work to do in the hunt for a semi-final place after Abel Ruiz' first-half goal won a tight contest.

Anticipation for a mammoth occasion in the club's history was dampened by a devastating defeat to Celtic in the Premiership title race at the weekend.

And the Ibrox side were not their usual vibrant continental selves at the Estadio Municipal de Braga.

They failed to fashion an opportunity of note and were undone by the same slack defending which allowed their city rivals to pull clear domestically on Sunday.

Rangers now face another monumental evening at Ibrox as they bid to rescue their quest to reach the last four.

Van Bronckhorst drafted Glen Kamara, Scott Arfield and Fashion Sakala into his side, the latter playing through the middle following the news Alfredo Morelos' season is over.

And it was the visitors who threatened first, with Sakala snatching at a rebound after Kent had been played in and denied by a swarm of red and white shirts.

The pace of that pair was clearly spooking Braga and Rangers had the better of the opening exchanges without troubling Matheus in the home goal.

But despite that threat, they came within a whisker of going behind before the half-hour mark.

Rangers failed to deal with a deep cross and the ball broke to Horta to slam against the post with the goal at his mercy.

Horta did have the ball in the net a minute later, but the goal was ruled out for a foul on Ryan Jack in the build-up.

Nevertheless, it was a warning for Rangers as they barely escaped a sloppy spell without punishment.

It was one they did not heed.

Again it was woeful defending -