Ally McCoist says Daniel Candeias made crucial mistake in Rangers defeat

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Candeias scored the goal of the night, but was he also at fault as Rangers lost to Spartak Moscow in the Europa League.

After a couple of disappointing performances that have seen Rangers slip away from the title race and fall at the semi-final stage of the Scottish League Cup, Steven Gerrard really could have done without Thursday’s collapse on Russian soil.

Rangers led three times away at Spartak Moscow in the midweek Europa League clash through Daniel Candeias, Glenn Middleton and a Roman Eremenko own goal, before succumbing to a 4-3 defeat that once again brutally exposed the lack of leadership and experience in Gerrard’s defence.

While Candeias was one of the few positives, scoring a wonderful goal just days after netting in similarly eye-catching fashion away to St Mirren, Ally McCoist believes the Portuguese winger let himself down in the build-up to Spartak’s opening goal.

Candeias was nowhere to be seen as left-back Lorenzo Melgarejo ghosted in at the far post to score, and McCoist believes the former Benfica man should have done better.

“Candeias is at fault for me,” the former Rangers manager told BT Sport (8 November, 5:00pm). “He’s totally switched, he’s guilty of falling asleep at the back post.”

Candeias was certainly not the main culprit in a dreadful defensive performance for Rangers with centre-back pairing Nikola Katic and Connor Goldson, who hacked a horrible clearance into his own net for an own goal, coming in for plenty of criticism.