Rangers first UEFA Europa League win of the season may have arrived too late to revive their qualification hopes, but Mohamed Diomande believes the narrow 1-0 victory over Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad could still prove vital in maintaining momentum during a crucial spell of the campaign.
The Ivorian midfielder’s first-half strike settled a tight contest at Ibrox, securing another clean sheet and extending Rangers winning run to seven matches in all competitions.
While the European campaign has been a frustrating one overall, Diomande stressed that finally getting a win on the board still mattered.
“Yeah, like I said, we wanted to get some wins from the beginning of the tournament, but we didn’t,” Diomande said after full-time.
“I think this win is going to be good for us to continue on Sunday because we are on a good run and we want to keep on winning.
“So this was a good one to continue.”
The decisive moment came from a familiar source. Rangers set-piece threat again proved decisive, with Diomande reacting quickest after a short corner routine was only partially cleared. Rather than overcomplicate things, he stayed alive to the danger and finished from close range.
“We have been practicing a lot,” he explained.
“And it wasn’t like from the first one, so you had to get it on the second one. It was a rebound and a good ball from Thelo [Aasgaard].
“I just followed up and I had a goal. So, it was good. Again, to score from a set piece.”
The celebration that followed spoke volumes. Diomande sprinted towards the corner flag, emotion clear on his face, as Ibrox responded warmly.
It had been a challenging European campaign both collectively and personally, making the moment all the more meaningful.
“Yeah, obviously,” he said when asked about the emotion.
“It has been a while since I scored a goal. So, you know, it’s emotion and I just wanted to give it all out.
“I think the celebration showed how I was happy and I’m happy that I contributed with the goal to get the point. Everybody’s happy in the stadium.
“We want to keep on this momentum and go again on Sunday.”
Beyond the goal itself, Diomande also highlighted the impact of head coach Danny Rohl on the squad’s mentality and daily standards since taking charge.
“I would say he’s very positive and he’s pushing us really hard,” Diomande said.
“We are learning from him every day and we get better. And I’m happy that he’s there to help everybody to be the best they can be.”
While Rangers are now mathematically out of contention for the knockout stages, the win still carried wider importance.
Valuable coefficient points were banked, which could prove vital if Rangers do wrestle back the Scottish Premiership title, and the performance reinforced a growing belief within the squad that games can be managed and won even when margins are tight.
Attention now turns back to the domestic front, where Rangers are chasing down the teams above them. Diomande is clear that the approach remains measured.
“Yeah, obviously we are in a good position now and we put ourselves there again,” he said.
“We are going game by game. And hopefully Sunday we get the three points and we continue like that, game by game.”
Rangers welcome Steven Pressley and Dundee to Ibrox this Sunday as they look to make it eight wins from eight.