[Mighty T.A.L.]

Rangers boss Paul Le Guen may still be struggling with the idiosyncrasies of Scottish football but there is no such trouble on the European stage, as his side's 2-0 victory over Maccabi Haifa bore testimony.

Kris Boyd could even be afforded the luxury of missing a penalty as Nacho Novo and then Charlie Adams, from the spot, secured a three-point haul for a galvanised Rangers.

Ibrox was the venue for Rangers' second Group A victory in as many games, as Novo's fifth minute strike and Adams' late penalty shot them to the top of the table.

While there may be a cosmopolitan air about Rangers following Le Guen's arrival, Nacho's opener was manifest through the most traditional of British means.

A towering pass from back to front saw Boyd rise above his marker to flick the ball on. Nacho took the big man's knock-down in his path before rifling past Nir Davidovich with the aid of a slight deflection.

With the home side in the ascendancy and the Glaswegian crowd in fine voice, Rangers pressed for second and nearly grabbed one, minutes later, when Boyd's looping header needed to be tipped over.

Prior to Nacho's opener and Maccabi briefly threatened when Gustavo Boccoli fired a ball across Rangers' box but Alain Masudi failed to connect and, in truth, Gers goalkeeper Allan McGregor was rarely threatened by the away side.

Maccabi were neat in possession but had little cutting thrust in the final third and with Barry Ferguson a driving force, Rangers were always in control - save for a brief Maccabi flurry in the second 45 minutes.

The second half was barely a minute old when Dado Prso was brought down in the box, via a fine tackle from Alon Harazi, only for the referee Costas Kapitanis to point to the spot.

Boyd stepped up and as is so often the case in such matters, justice prevailed, as Davidovich guessed right and saved low to his right.

There was, though, little respite for Maccabi as Ferguson cut inside and fired in another warning shot that struck the outside of Davidovich's near post.

McGregor needed to be smart to cover his own near post as Maccabi threatened on a forward foray, but a deserved three points were claimed a minute from time when Adam showed Boyd how to dispatch from twelve yards.

A surging run from Ferguson saw the captain upended in Maccabi's box and from the resultant spot-kick, Adam buried the ball in style with a composed finish.

Rangers now lead Group A with a maximum six points garnered thus far and while their domestic exploits disappoint, in Europe, they continue to show promise.

Source: http://home.skysports.com