Despite both sides already having secured passage to the knockout phase of the tournament, there was plenty of intent on show to try and win the match, with a Scott Wright opener in the first half cancelled out by Rayan Cherki early in the second.
Manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst named six changes to his side for this evening’s final UEFA Europa League Group A match. From the team which defeated Dundee at Ibrox on Saturday, Jon McLaughlin, Nathan Patterson, John Lundstram, Wright, Ryan Kent and Kemar Roofe all came into the starting XI.
They took the places of Allan McGregor, James Tavernier, Scott Arfield, Joe Aribo, Fashion Jr and Alfredo Morelos here at a very cold Groupama Stadium in the South of France.
That meant it was a back five of McLaughlin in goal with Patterson, captain for the evening Connor Goldson, Calvin Bassey and Borna Barisic in front of him.
Lundstram joined Glen Kamara and Ianis Hagi in the middle of the park, with Kent and Wright providing the wide support for Roofe.
Gers had tow early free-kick opportunities, with Bassey unlucky not to connect to the first, while Lundstram could only send a headed effort over the bar at the back post.
Karl Toko Ekabi had a weak effort for the hosts which McLaughlin gathered with ease before Roofe hit a post at the other end with a pretty audacious, first-time curling effort from 25-yards when put through by Kent.
Hagi flashed an effort from distance wide, while Barisic worked the space for a shot from the edge of the area at the end of a sweeping Rangers move which the goalkeeper did well to hold onto.
Rangers were the dominant side, and four minutes before the break, the grabbed a deserved lead.
Lovely play from Kent on the left saw him chip a ball over the Lyon defence for Kamara to enter the area with. He showed typical composure to try and pick out a blue shirt rather than simply throw the ball into the area, and found Lundstram.
He flicked on for the unmarked Scott Wright on the edge of the area, and with the aid of a deflection which wrong-footed Julian Pollersbeck in the home goal, put the Light Blues 1-0 up to spark pandemonium among the small band of Rangers fan who were able to make the trip.
Gers held that lead until the interval but were to lose it just three minutes into the second half – Rayan Cherki netting with the aid of a big deflection off Calvin Bassey, albeit there was the question of a potential handball in the build-up which VAR decided not to intervene on.
Tino Kadeware spun an effort just wide of McLaughlin’s left-hand post as the home side attempted to go in front, and Castello Lukeba then threatened with a header on a corner which went just wide.
Sub Steven Davis did well to hook a Damien Da Silva header off the line from his standard defensive position on the post, while Patterson was unlucky to see a shot on the end of a great run forward go wide.
Juninho Bacuna was inches away from connecting to a Joe Aribo cutback as Gers threatened a late winner, while Aribo was so close to an injury-time winner, bringing a Goldson ball out of the air on the edge of the box but being unable to get enough on his final shot.
McLaughlin then made a super save from Kadewere with the final kick of the ball to secure the point, with Gers now into Monday’s draw for the new Round of 16 play-off.
RANGERS: McLaughlin, Patterson, Goldson, Bassey, Barisic, Lundstram, Kamara (Davis, 74), Hagi (Bacuna, 61), Kent, Wright (Arfield, 61), Roofe (Aribo, 73).
SUBS NOT USED: McGregor, McCrorie, Kelly, Tavernier.
OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS: Pollersbeck, Lukeba, Toko Ekambi (Kadewere, 42), Dembele (Slimani, 76), Milagres, Cherki, Keita, Da Silva, Caqueret (Guimares, 76), Shaquiri (Dubois, 62), Vogel (Aouar, 62)
SUBS NOT USED: Lopes, Bonnevie, Emerson, Gusto, Mendes, Boateng, Barcola.
REFEREE: Radu Marian Petrescu
ATTENDANCE: 26,842
Rangers have launched their Christmas marketing campaign for 2021.
As it’s our 150th anniversary season, we wanted to create an authentic Christmas campaign that celebrates our fans, near and far and what brings them together over the festive period.