GOALS from James Tavernier, Connor Goldson a second half double from Alfredo Morelos and one from Jermain Defoe give the Gers a 5:0 win.
A VERY professional Rangers performance saw them secure an excellent 5-0 win over Lincoln Red Imps here in Gibraltar tonight.
The Light Blues were 2-0 up at the break through a wonderful James Tavernier free-kick and a Connor Goldson header before in the second half, Alfredo Morelos grabbed a double and Jermain Defoe netted on his comeback from injury to round-off the rout.
It sets Gers up for a third qualifying round tie with Willem II in Tilburg, Holland next week.
Boss Gerrard named six changes for this afternoon’s tie, albeit, it was still a strong-looking XI which took to the field in the shadow of the Rock here in Gibraltar.Allan McGregor, George Edmundson, Scott Arfield, Glen Kamara, Greg Stewart and Cedric Itten all came into the side – with four of those being full international players – replacing Jon McLaughlin, Fil Helander, Ryan Jack, Steven Davis, Ryan Kent and Brandon Barker.
The Light Blues had pretty much all of the ball in the opening stages, and they came close to taking an early lead with Cedric Itten being inches away from connecting to a Borna Barisic free-kick, while Itten then turned provider for Kemar Roofe, with Roofe being denied his first European goal by a Lee Casciaro block.
The opening goal did arrive on 21 minutes, however, and after going nearly 11 months without one, James Tavernier has now hit three goals in his last three games – and this one was pick of the bunch.
Ianis Hagi was brought down by Roy Chipolina around 20 yards from goal to the left of the ‘D’. Up stepped Tavernier to take the resulting free-kick, and the skipper arrowed the ball into the far top corner for his 49th Rangers goal.
Kemar Roofe was forced off with a knock four minutes before the break, with Nathan Patterson taking his place, with Tavernier moving in front of him on the left.
A super block from Ethan Britto denied Itten from tapping home from close range, while from the resulting corner, the ball reached Scott Arfield on the edge of the area, and he had a low drive deflected just wide.
Then, in the fourth of four minutes added at the end of the half, Gers went two to the good.
Again, Hagi was brought down, this time out to the left of the area, around a yard or two from the touchline.
Borna Barisic delivered yet another wonderful free-kick ball, and at the back post to head home was Connor Goldson for his first of the season.
It was a fitting goal for the big centre-half, given he has played every minute of every European game under boss Steven Gerrard.
The manager was to make two further changes at half-time, with Alfredo Morelos coming on for James Tavernier, and Nathan Patterson switching to full-back.
Patterson dug out a super cross to Itten in the opening minutes of the new half, but the striker, now playing alongside Morelos, was denied by ‘keeper Kyle Goldwin.
Goldwin almost presented a chance to Itten when he dropped a Hagi free-kick in front of him before recovering, before he made an excellent, close-range block as Greg Stewart seemed certain to net.
Red Imps then threatened for the first time in the game on 62 minutes as a Diego Gamiz free-kick dropped for Chipolina at the back post, but there with a magnificent block on his return was Allan McGregor.
On 67 minutes, however, Gers made it 3-0 with their third set-piece goal of the evening, with Alfredo Morelos picking up where he left off last season in Europe.
After Hagi was fouled yet again, Borna Barisic sent another beautiful ball to the back post, and meeting it this time was George Edmundson to head back across goal for Morelos to tap home from close range.
That strike from the Colombian put him onto 19 European goals for the club – just two behind the all-time record held by Ally McCoist.
He almost had a second, but Goldwin denied him before with six minutes left, Jermain Defoe on his return from injury netted his first of the season.
A brilliant surging run from Patterson ended with him picking out Morelos in the box. He managed to slip it to Defoe to ram home Gers’ fourth of the night.
Four became five three minutes later – Defoe and Morelos breaking clear before Defoe released Morelos to wonderfully clip the ball over Goldwin and into the back of the net for Euro goal number 20. RANGERS: McGregor, Tavernier (Morelos, 45), Goldson, Edmundson, Barisic; Arfield, Kamara; Stewart, Roofe (Patterson, 41), Hagi; Itten (Defoe, 65)
SUBS NOT USED: McLaughlin, Helander, Davis, Kent.
LINCOLN RED IMPS: Goldwin, Wiseman (Gamiz, 58), Lopes, R Chipolina, Britto, Yahaya, Torilla, Hernandez (De Barr, 51), Sergeant, L Casciaro, Gomez.
SUBS NOT USED: Soler, K Casciaro, Mfoumou, Toscano, Coombes.
REFEREE: Iwan Arwel Griffith (Wales)