Rangers were punished for a sloppy start to the second halfSteven Davis' "big moment" has given Rangers "an important lifeline" in their quest to reach the Champions League group stage despite defeat by Malmo, says manager Steven Gerrard.
Davis rattled the ball home from the edge of the box in the 95th minute of a difficult night for the Scottish champions in Sweden.
Soren Rieks and Veljko Birmancevic scored within two minutes of the restart to put Malmo in command, and they looked set to maintain their lead, but for Davis' crucial intervention.
It puts Rangers in a stronger position for the return leg next Tuesday at Ibrox, where they boast a formidable record.
"It's not the position we wanted to be in but it's a lot better than going in at 2-0. We were also on the verge of it going worse as well," Gerrard told Rangers TV.
"We're going to have to go up levels individually and collectively for next week. In my honest opinion there are six or seven that need to raise their level and raise it sharply."
Shorn of Alfredo Morelos, Glen Kamara, Kemar Roofe and Leon Balogun - the latter three because of suspension - Rangers were still able to field a strong XI as they began their campaign to reach the group phase for the first time in 10 years.
The Scottish champions edged the first half, as Ryan Kent and Scott Arfield had chances, but there was little goalmouth action at either end as both sides fought for control.
But Jon Dahl Tomasson's Malmo came out of the dressing room a changed side as they put Rangers to the sword within two minutes of the referee's whistle.
First, Birmancevic peeled away and dummied Arfield before finding Rieks at the back post, with the Danish wing-back firing a fantastic first-time volley beyond Allan McGregor.
And the veteran goalkeeper was barely back on his feet as Birmancevic rolled in off his left-hand post after James Tavernier had gifted Anders Christiansen the ball, which allowed the Danish midfielder to tee up his forward.
The calamitous start to the second period left Rangers startled as Malmo - backed by a raucous home support - swarmed round them, and Helander was fortunate not to concede a penalty which could have left Gerrard's men in greater peril.
But soon the tempo cooled and Rangers looked for a response, but struggled to find a spark in the final third.
Scott Wright's movement and pace looked the most likely source of a goal, and he did manage to tee up Fashion Sakala, only for the substitute's effort to be blocked by a sturdy Malmo defence.
And that was the sum of Rangers' clear chances, before Davis was afforded too much room on the edge of the box, which allowed him to use all of his experience to compose himself and lash the ball into the back of the net.
Man of the match - Veljko Birmancevic
There were plenty of candidates for Malmo, but Birmancevic gets the nod for his goal and assistWhat did we learn?
It's an easy excuse - and one you probably won't hear Gerrard making - but Rangers looked like a side with just one competitive game under their belt, while Malmo looked like one in the middle of their season.
The Swedish side caused a bit of a surprise by lining up in a 5-3-2 formation, which Rangers struggled to adjust to as Helander and Barisic left space in the left-hand channel throughout the first half.
Despite that, the first 45 minutes passed without the concession of a clear chance, but the start of the second was a lesson in maintaining concentration as Malmo overpowered Rangers to capitalise on their visitors' slow start.
The biggest positive for Gerrard will be the fact his side eventually composed themselves to get back into the tie, and with more game time under their belt by the return leg, he will hope their attacking play clicks better because their delivery was uncharacteristically poor.
Wright put in another strong display and should start at Ibrox. Only Slavia Prague and Bayer Leverkusen have won in Govan in European competition since Gerrard took charge, so they will back themselves to progress, even with the away goal rule being scrapped.
What they said
Rangers manager Steven Gerrard: "We had two magnificent performances. Filip Helander, who I thought was outstanding, and Steven Davis.
"I'm running out of plaudits for Davo. He's someone that doesn't give up. He keeps going to the end and he's someone that's provided a real big moment that's given us an important lifeline going into next week."
What's next?
Rangers are away at Dundee United on Saturday (12:30 BST) in the Scottish Premiership, before they attempt to overturn the 2-1 deficit against Malmo next Tuesday (20:00).
Line-ups
Malmö FF
Formation 5-3-2
27Dahlin
32Berget15Ahmedhodzic24Nielsen4Moisander5Rieks
6Lewicki20Innocent10Christiansen
9Colak19Birmancevic
27Dahlin32Berget15Ahmedhodzic24NielsenBooked at 67mins4MoisanderBooked at 52mins5RieksBooked at 18minsSubstituted forBeijmoat 88'minutes6Lewicki20Innocent10ChristiansenSubstituted forRakipat 89'minutes9ColakSubstituted forAbubakariat 88'minutes19BirmancevicSubstituted forNalicat 74'minutesSubstitutes
1Ellborg2Larsson7Rakip14Beijmo17Abubakari21Gwargis22Nalic29Eile30Johansson31Brorsson34Björkqvist37NanasiRangers
Formation 4-3-3
1McGregor
2Tavernier5Helander6Goldson31Barisic
37Arfield10Davis4Lundstram
23Wright11Itten14Kent
1McGregor2Tavernier5Helander6Goldson31BarisicBooked at 38mins37ArfieldBooked at 70mins10Davis4Lundstram23Wright11IttenBooked at 43minsSubstituted forSakalaat 63'minutes14KentSubstitutes
3Bassey7Hagi15Simpson16Patterson27Kelly28McCrorie30Sakala44Hogarth51LowryLive Text
Match ends, Malmö 2, Rangers 1.
Second Half ends, Malmö 2, Rangers 1.
Goal! Malmö 2, Rangers 1. Steven Davis (Rangers) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Ryan Kent.
Substitution, Malmö. Erdal Rakip replaces Anders Christiansen.
Substitution, Malmö. Abdul Malik Abubakari replaces Antonio-Mirko Colak.
Substitution, Malmö. Felix Beijmo replaces Sören Rieks.
Substitution, Malmö. Adi Nalic replaces Veljko Birmancevic.
Scott Arfield (Rangers) is shown the yellow card.
Lasse Nielsen (Malmö) is shown the yellow card.
Substitution, Rangers. Fashion Sakala replaces Cedric Itten.
Niklas Moisander (Malmö) is shown the yellow card.
Goal! Malmö 2, Rangers 0. Veljko Birmancevic (Malmö) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal.
Goal! Malmö 1, Rangers 0. Sören Rieks (Malmö) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the high centre of the goal. Assisted by Veljko Birmancevic.
Second Half begins Malmö 0, Rangers 0.
First Half ends, Malmö 0, Rangers 0.
Cedric Itten (Rangers) is shown the yellow card.
Borna Barisic (Rangers) is shown the yellow card.
Sören Rieks (Malmö) is shown the yellow card.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
