It was a match that was decided in moments and decided by margins. It will be a campaign that will be determined by Rangers’ immediate reaction and long-term response to the adversity at Ibrox.

Philippe Clement’s side raised the bar with victory over Malmo last week. On Thursday evening, they were left staring up at a ceiling they were not able to reach as Lyon proved that they were levels above. It was a night that saw the credit in the bank whittled away at a rate that may surprise Clement and his players.

Much of the narrative around the Lyon fixture focused on what Rangers had achieved previously against that calibre of opposition and on occasions such as this. Ibrox had been the twelfth man that had roared Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side all the way to Seville, after all. Before that, it had witnessed Steven Gerrard assemble a squad that punched above its weight as the standing of the club was restored and the reputations of individuals was enhanced.

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Clement and his players are on their own journey. As a difficult and disappointing 90 minutes against Lyon showed, this Rangers manager and this Rangers squad have some distance to travel.

“Yeah, obviously it's a tough night, it's hard to take,” striker Cyriel Dessers said after Alexandre Lacazette and Malick Fofana both netted twice in a 4-1 victory for Pierre Sage’s side. “I think the first European night back at Ibrox, you want to make the fans more happy. Is it unrealistic for us to expect the Rangers to go on against teams like that and get an equality there? No, I don't think it's unrealistic.

"I think if you look at the first 20 minutes, we showed that we can put our foot next to teams like this. I think we showed that last season as well against Benfica, Betis. So I don't think it's unrealistic. But you have to take into account that these guys have a very good team with some exceptional players. I think they spent also, I don't know, 100 million in the summer. So yeah, I think that's part of the difference that they showed.

“If you can have this money and you can buy players of this level, then it's normal. I think that sometimes the sparks they show, the flashes of quality, that can decide moments or can decide games.”

When Clement arrived at Ibrox a year ago this month, he inherited a squad that had been humbled in the Champions League and embarrassed in the Europa League. Losing in that manner to PSV Eindhoven and then being shocked by Aris Limassol was not befitting a club that had performed so admirably on the continent under Gerrard and then Van Bronckhorst.

Clement recorded his own notable achievement and the win over Real Betis was historic. In the end, the challenge of Benfica was too great to overcome. That is the level that Rangers must return to.

“I think against Benfica we had a little bit more belief,” Dessers said. “I felt like in the first half we had to believe, but I think the 3-1 just before half-time was a big blow. And then second half, I think we put our heads down a little bit. I think we kept fighting, we kept running, we kept going. But the real belief to equalise or to win this game, I think we missed that a little bit.

“But yeah, Benfica, I think we have to see it as well. We were further in the season. For some guys this was the first time a game of this level. And they will learn from it, we will learn from it as a team. Take the good things out of it, the bad things out of it. And hopefully we can take that to the next Europa League games as well, because we'll need it.”

Rangers remain a work in progress this term. Clement firmly believes that this new-look side are on the right track but there are sections of the support that do not share his optimism. Indeed, there will be many who do not have faith in him to lead the team going forward.

The Belgian retains the backing of the Ibrox board. Ultimately, Clement’s future and fortunes will be shaped by events on the pitch. If Rangers are to qualify from the league section, Clement must find a way for his side to land blows on those with bigger budgets and more nous and experience at this level.

“I think it's not only the European campaign, I think it's also in the league, in the League Cup,” Dessers said when asked about the progression and development of this side. “I think we're not there yet. There's still a lot of room, a lot of space to grow. I think we need to keep doing that and I think we will only get better. Then maybe we'll need to win against teams like for example Betis last season if we want to progress in Europe as well.

“If I look at our draw, I think we have one of the hardest draws. I think we will meet some more teams that have the quality of Lyon. Olympiacos, Nice are very close to the level of Lyon. Tottenham and Manchester United are even above that. We will need to be on top of our game to get points.

"That's what we worked for the whole season. That's what you want. You want games like this against good opponents and obviously you want more than [Thursday night] but hopefully next time. I know it's difficult to prioritise.”

The priority this evening is clear. A win over St Johnstone is non-negotiable for Rangers as they return to domestic action and return to Ibrox. There can be no European hangover.

Dessers is expected to lead the line once again for Clement’s side as the Saints begin their new era under Simo Valikari. A return of seven goals from a dozen outings represents a notable contribution from Dessers to date and he is not the most glaring issue with Rangers at present.

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Clement has previously insisted his side would be moving through the gears come this stage of the campaign. The time has now come for the actions to speak louder than words for a team that have much to prove to themselves and their supporters.

“Obviously the league is huge for us,” Dessers said. “You cannot deny that. We are now playing on four levels and it's not like we're going into this game with the league in our head. We want to qualify for the next round in the Europa League as well. We want to win our semi-final in the League Cup as well. In a team like Rangers you have to go hard. You cannot pick your games. You have to go hard.

“I'm feeling good for the first time in a few years. I had a full pre-season. I think that showed until now. I got my goals already, got some assists. I think we had a decent start of the season. Not perfect, but you can see we're growing and games like this will help us massively in that journey. This is a learning process and I think we just need to take the things from this game and keep growing.”