RANGERS will have a one goal deficit to again overcome if they are to reach the UEFA Europa League final following a 1-0 defeat here in Leipzig tonight.
For so long in the match, Gers kept a superbly organised shape and might have nicked a game of few chances themselves, but Angelino’s super strike four minutes from the end was the difference between the two sides.
What it does do is set up what is sure to be an incredible night at Ibrox in a week’s time, with a place in the final still in reach for Gio van Bronckhorst’s men.
10 years to the day from the late Sandy Jardine leading a march of Gers fans on Hampden in a show of incredible support for the club in one of their darkest hours, the Light Blues could be as little as 120 minutes away from next month’s final in Seville.
In-terms of the team, tonight, in came John Lundstram, Calvin Bassey, Ryan Jack, Joe Aribo and Ryan Kent in place of Leon Balogun, Steven Davis, Scott Arfield, Amad and Fashion Jr – that being five changes from Saturday’s win at Motherwell.
Allan McGregor was in goal and had a back three of Connor Goldson, Lundstram and Bassey in front of him.
James Tavernier and Borna Barisic played as wing-backs, with Ryan Jack and Kamara in the middle of the park.
Up front, Aribo played as a false nine with Kent and Scott Wright either side of him.
Balogun, Davis, Arfield, Amad and Fashion Jr all make the bench tonight next to Jon McLaughlin, Robby McCrorie, Leon King, James Sands, Alex Lowry, Cole McKinnon and Adam Devine.
As was to probably be expected, the home side began with the bulk of possession, with no real chances of note until the 17th minute, when a bit of a loose header from Barisic presented the ball to Dani Olmo to cross for Christopher Nkunu in the 18-yard box, but he dallied on the ball and McGregor blocked well.
Minutes later, Konrad Laimer drove through the visiting defence, but the combination of a super Goldson tackle and safe McGregor hands prevented his shot from an angle coming to anything.
At the other end, Gers began to force a bit of pressure around the half-hour mark, with their best opportunity from that being a Goldson header on a Barisic corner that went over the bar.
The remainder of the first half remained cagey, and then into the second half, it was Rangers to threaten first four minutes after the restart.
Gers worked it well with Aribo getting Kent on the ball out on the left with a fine pass. From there, the winger showed super skill to burrow a path into the area before flashing an effort across the face of goal.
Tavernier then had a volley from inside the area blocked away for a corner, before McGregor was called into action for really the first time in the match to beat away a decent Nkunku effort from just outside the area.
Nkunku then had the big chance of the game on 71 minutes as he burst into the area, danced round McGregor but found his sure route to goal blocked by a superb Barisic block.
Goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi showed good hands to hold onto a curling Fashion Jr drive, while Nkunku’s latest effort was a back post header that went over the bar.
McGregor tipped a late Tyler Adams strike over the bar, but from the resulting corner, Leipzig grabbed the lead.
Rangers did well to clear the initial effort, but the ball dropped for Angelino 25-yards from goal to send a sweet volley past McGregor and into the back of the net with four minutes left.
RANGERS: McGregor, Tavernier, Goldson, Bassey, Barisic, Lundstram, Jack (Sands, 83), Kamara, Aribo (Arfield, 83), Kent, Wright (Fashion Jr, 69).
SUBS NOT USED: McLaughlin, McCrorie, Balogun, King, Davis, Lowry, Amad, McKinnon, Devine.
RB LEIPZIG: Gulacsi, Angelino, Adams, Klostermann, Szboszlai (Forsberg, 71), Nkunku (Poulsen, 89), Halstenberg, Olmo (Silva, 71), Laimer, Gvardiol, Henrichs (Mukiele, 89).
SUBS NOT USED: Tschauner, Martinez, Raebiger, Novoa, Lelle.
REFEREE: Benoit Bastien
ATTENDANCE: 40,303