NICO RASKIN says he’s proud of Rangers’ efforts this evening as the side punched their ticket to the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 in dramatic circumstances with a 2-1 victory over Union Saint-Gilloise at Ibrox this evening.
Philippe Clement’s men entered the final matchday three points outside the top eight, but victory over the Belgian side, coupled with results elsewhere, defied the slim pre-match odds.
Speaking to RangersTV after the triumph, the midfielder beamed: “We’re very proud about the performance but also the whole campaign.
“We knew we had a small chance to be top eight and we just had to do the job, so we’re very proud tonight.
“You know in football anything can happen and we knew we had a small chance but still a chance to be in the top eight.
“The job was to come out, win the game, and see what happened around us.
“I didn’t really know why the crowd was that nervous in the last few minutes, but I realised when Vaclav [Cerny] came onto the pitch and told me we were top eight.
“I think the crowd knew before us, which was good.
This Gaff on a Thursday evening 🤩#UEL pic.twitter.com/0rvceynqaf
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) January 30, 2025
It was a special evening for Raskin as he netted his first Rangers goal since October 2023 to break the deadlock.
On the goal, the Belgian continued: “I’ve been quite close in the last couple of games, and I remember one in the Celtic game where I was close to scoring.
“I really wanted it and I can just enjoy it.
“Do I want to add more goals to my game? Yes, but the one I scored was from a set-piece, so I’m alone to go and try and get something out of the set-pieces which I’m happy about.”
The Light Blues can now look ahead to the Round of 16 in March as the current crop of players aim to embark on their own special journey in the competition.
Raskin says he and his teammates are hungry to do exactly that, and believes they were buoyed in the second half this evening by the Ibrox support.
He added: “I don’t think there are many teams who are going to come here and play their game because they have to cope with the fans.
“I’m just proud and happy for everyone that we’ve made it.
“I followed the journey that the club had before and it’s up to us to do the same.”