WITH the second leg of this UEFA Europa League, knockout play-off round tie with Borussia Dortmund still to come, and with the Germans possessing so much quality, nobody of a Rangers perspective will be getting carried away.
However, as a one-off result, for Rangers to come to the famed Signal Iduna Park and win 4-2 against a team currently second in the Bundesliga was simply outstanding, with all 11 visiting players turning in quite tremendous individual performances.
Boss Gio van Bronckhorst got his game-plan right too with Gers hurting the Germans on the transition all night, with an Alfredo Morelos double, a James Tavernier penalty and a John Lundstram thunderbolt the sum total of their efforts on the night.
It was 10 changes from the team which faced Annan on Saturday night, with only Borna Barisic retaining his place in the XI.
That meant it was a back five of Allan McGregor in goal with Tavernier, Connor Goldson, Calvin Bassey and Barisic in front of him.
Lundstram, Ryan Jack and Joe Aribo were in the middle of the park, while Ryan Kent and Scott Arfield played in support of Morelos.
Rangers began pretty well on what was a massive pitch, keeping possession pretty well with their pressing game also coming off in the early moments.
And on 11 minutes, Gers fashioned the first opportunity of the match. Kent and Barisic set off down the left wing with Kent doing superbly to hold off Manuel Akanji to put Barisic scampering into the area, with goalkeeper Gregor Kobel making a super save to deny the Croatian international the opener.
At the other end, Dan-Axel Zagadou had a free header from a corner that McGregor gratefully grasped out of the air, while a Kent through-ball that would have put Morelos in one-on-one was just slightly overcooked and Gers turned the ball over on the transition.
Barisic hooked a dangerous looking Reus ball away from almost the goal line before on 37 minutes, Rangers were sensationally awarded a penalty.
There were no claims for anything when a Tavernier corner came into the box, but referee Clement Turpin soon stopped play on the advice of the VAR.
After a review, he awarded a penalty after seeing a Goldson header come off the arm of Zagadou. Up-stepped captain Tavernier to take, and he sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to hand his side the lead.
Incredibly, three minutes later, it got even better for van Bronckhorst’s men. Tavernier’s corner from the right was flicked on in the six-yard box by Aribo, and hoovering up at the back post, was that man Alfredo Morelos for his 17th of the season.
This was touching the stuff of fantasy for Rangers – but they thoroughly deserved their advantage for a tremendously executed game plan in the first-half.
Rangers could have been forgiven for settling for what they had achieved in that crazy first-half – but instead they again took control and found a third goal on 48 minutes.
Kent skinned Gio Reyna out on the right win and cut the ball back to a great spot, around 20-yards from goal.
Running onto it was John Lundstram, and he lashed a fearsome drive into the back of the net to go beyond fantasy and into… well, the word for where van Bronckhorst’s men were at this stage hasn’t even been invented yet.
They were brought back to earth a little just after with Dortmund pulling one back – Jude Bellingham with a fine finish past McGregor from the edge of the area.
But Gers’ goalscoring exploits were not at an end there. Reyna was caught in possession by Kent, who played it back infield to charge forward onto the exposed Dortmund defence.
He picked out the run of Morelos to his left as Gers flooded forward, and as he entered the area, Morelos finished beautifully across the goalkeeper and into the bottom corner, only to see the flag of the stand-side official deny him.
However, after another check by the VAR, the goal was allowed to stand and Gers had four and Morelos 18 for the season.
It could have been five when Aribo curled one by the far post as Gers broke again, while Barisic had a 25-yard free-kick charged down by the yellow wall of the home side.
Gers continued to look good in possession, but on 82 minutes, Dortmund pulled another back through a quite excellent finish from Raphael Guerreiro as he slewed an effort by the helpless McGregor from 25-yards.
From that point, the Light Blues did superbly well to hold out anything Dortmund could throw at them to claim the two-goal advantage to take to Ibrox next week – and what a night that promises to be.
RANGERS: McGregor, Tavernier, Goldson, Bassey, Barisic, Jack (Kamara, 86), Lundstram, Aribo (Ramsey, 86), Arfield (Sands, 66), Kent, Morelos.
SUBS: McCrorie, Hogarth, King, Davis, Amad, Wright.
BORUSSIA DORTMUND: Kobel, Zagadou, Dahoud, Reus (Reiner, 83), Guerreiro, Hummels, Akanji, Brandt (Moukoko, 45), Malen ((Tigges, 68), Bellingham, Witsel (Reyna, 45)
SUBS NOT USED: Unbehaun, Hitz, Reyna, Hazard, Schulz, Passlack, Pongracic.
REFEREE: Clement Turpin (FRA)