Clement lauds Rangers' 'best performance of the season' against Nice

Philippe Clement believes his Rangers side produced their "best performance of the season" in the 4-1 thrashing of Nice in the Europa League on Thursday.

Rangers stunned the Ligue 1 outfit with three first-half strikes as Vaclav Cerny, Mohamed Diomande and Hamza Igamane took advantage of some poor defending by the hosts.

Igamane notched his second of the game nine minutes after the restart, with the hosts pulling a goal back in the 83rd minute courtesy of Badredine Bouanani's stunning free-kick.

The result moved Rangers up to eighth in the 36-team standings, leapfrogging Tottenham into the automatic spots late on thanks to Mats Hummels' equaliser for Roma.

They also scored four or more goals in an away major European game for just the eighth time, with this the first time they’d done so since a 4-2 win at Borussia Dortmund 2022.

"We did big performances in Bucharest and Malmo too but knowing the level of this this is probably the best performance of the season. The season is still young," Clement said.

"Young squad, new players, many on the pitch today who have not been at the club for long. We have become stronger and stronger."

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Clement showered praise on two-goal Igamane, who impressed on his first start in the competition with top scorer Cyriel Dessers dropped to the bench.

The Moroccan grabbed the assist for Cerny's opener, while he also ended the contest with the most touches in the opposition box (eight) along with creating more chances (three) than any of his team-mates.

"He came in with an injury and missed preparation. He doesn't have experience at this level," Clement added.

"We're working hard with him to make him stronger but also technically doing the right things for the team.

"I saw the good things the last few weeks and that's why I gave him the chance today.

"It's my job to give chances and see what the player can bring but you never know with young players. You need characters, you can't be affected by the big occasion."

Rangers' attention now turns to the Scottish Premiership, aiming to bounce back from their 1-1 draw with Dundee United last time out.

Clement's side find themselves third in the table, 11 points behind rivals Celtic, and the Rangers boss believes their win over Nice can be the catalyst for their domestic campaign.

"We need to win. That's clear. We need to perform well on Sunday, but also on Wednesday and then at the weekend again.

"I don't want to see players in satisfaction mode, I want to see hungry players who want to be better and better."