Rangers booked their place in the Europa League round of 16 after a 2-2 draw with Borussia Dortmund in the knockout play-off match at Ibrox to win 6-4 on aggregate.
Given that Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men stunned their opponents with a 4-2 win in the first leg at the Westfalenstadion last week, it’s clear that the speed will be at its peak from the start. And with an internal electric vibe at Ibrox, the surprise actually lived up to the hype.
Rangers pressed from the first whistle but were temporarily caught off guard and gave last season’s Champions League quarter-finalists a scare in the fifth minute when Jude Bellingham burst into the box and sent the ball over the right post.
However, unlike the development of the game, the hosts were awarded a penalty midway through the first half. Ryan Kent stumbled in the box and captain James Tavernier stepped in to do the honors; He took a deep breath and shot on purpose, past Gregor Kobel.
But Dortmund did not remain calm. Allan McGrepassr made a great save to deny Julian Brandt, before Bellingham took advantage of a clumsy clearance attempt through Connor Goldson to get the clinical equaliser.
Before the break, they added a second-up to the night when a ball from Brandt in the penalty area was not cleared through the Gers byline, allowing the lively Donyell Malen to intervene.
Van Bronckhorst brought on Leon Balogun in place of Borna Barisic at half-time and subsequently switched to a back five, which stumped the Bundesliga side. And just over 10 minutes after the break, Tavernier equalised for Rangers with his second of the night, lashing in a volley after connecting with an inviting cross from Calvin Bassey.
Shortly after, Ibrox erupted for the third time when Alfredo Morelos led a breakaway and blocked Kent’s tackle, but after reviewing the incident on the pitch monitor, referee Mateu Lahoz disallowed the goal for a foul on Emre Can on play. -oop. despite the fact that in the replays it appeared that he had fallen to the floor after tripping over Morelos’ leg.
But that didn’t matter, as the Rangers held on and pulled off an outstanding victory.
Although Ryan Kent put in a performance of the highest quality, it is difficult for the Rangers captain, especially as it was his two goals that helped the Gers qualify for the round of 16 for the third consecutive season.
As he so often does, he kept his cool under pressure to net the opener from the spot with aplomb, before hitting the sweetest of volleys from Calvin Bassey’s left-wing cross to level the tie on the night and help his side advance.
Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst told BT Sport: “I think this is very important for everyone. I told the players it was a big moment for us as a club and we could make a lot of people proud with the performance we wanted – and we did. It was a difficult game again. We were 1-0 up, so it was a really good start and after we conceded two goals, at half-time I had to change the system to one we trained and have talked a lot about in meetings. I think that system worked really well for us in the second half.
“Especially at home, we have to start smart and I think we were very unlucky with those two goals. There were moments when we were able to clear the ball. We knew we had to replace anything with much more. ” defensively forged, maintaining damaging moments in transition. With Ryan [Kent]’s speed, Alfredos Morelos was much better at retaining the ball so we could advance; We had more damaging moments than Dortmund in the second half.
“It was a purely tactical decision [to get rid of Borna Barisic]. Before the attack I said that we had prepared 3 other plans for today and that was plan C, so we needed it. I knew that beforehand, also with the scoreboard in mind, that we needed to have the scenarios in position and in a condition to execute them, and the guys did well.
“It is a very smart performance and we are happy to advance to the next round. In the knockout stages, only the most productive teams remain and we are happy to be part of it. “
Kris Boyd on Sky Sports News:
“It is a result, not only for Rangers, but also for Scottish football. I said last week that it would send shockwaves throughout Europe, but finishing the job, crossing the finish line and eliminating Borussia Dortmund is an achievement for the Rangers.
“What I will say is that Jude Bellingham is a superstar in the making. He’s only 18, but he’s been given a man’s build, a man’s physique and he’s a very no-nonsense player.
“In the second half, a lot of credits went to Giovanni van Bronckhorst. In the first half, Borussia Dortmund were well ahead and it looked like there would be a team that would qualify. But they managed to replace at half-time, transfer five at the back and put Morelos and Kent up front.
“It was a bad refereeing decision that prevented them from winning tonight’s game, so it’s not a coincidence. “
Dan Long from Sky Sports:
Borussia Dortmund had become the favourites to win the Europa League after their wonder Champions League exit in December, so when Rangers won 4-2 in the first leg of the knockout play-offs at the Westfalenstadion last Thursday, it came as a shock.
“Dortmund are stunned,” read the headlines and, to some extent, it’s easy to understand why.
But in the second leg, Rangers showed that this was no coincidence. Of course, the Ibrox crowd did their part, cheering on Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men throughout the match, but they controlled the game well and eventually nullified the threat of their opponents.
Dortmund had crushed Borussia Mönchengladach 6-0 in the Bundesliga ahead of their visit to Scotland and, with momentum in their strategy, took control of the game to reduce the aggregate score to 5-4 when Jude Bellingham and Donyell Malen scored to extend the match. James Tavernier takes a penalty midway through the first half.
The change to five at the back at half-time proved to be a masterstroke. Dortmund rarely threatened Allan McGregor and then went out when Tavernier added his moment with a superbly executed volley to the far post. Rangers have had a few others, but Ryan Kent’s poor result was controversially overturned by referee Mateu Lahoz.
The Gers have reached the knockout stages of the festival for the third season in a row and, after knocking out the favourites thanks to two professional performances, will be keen to go even further.
Rangers are in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday when they host Motherwell at Ibrox; The start is at 3 p. m.
Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund are also back to league action on Sunday when they travel to Augsburg in the Bundesliga; kick-off 4.30pm, live on Sky Sports Mix.