RANGERS will play Champions League group stage football for the first time since 2010 following tonight’s stunning 1-0 win over PSV Eindhoven in The Netherlands.
After a 2-2 draw at Ibrox in last Tuesday’s first leg, Antonio Colak’s goal on the hour was the difference between the two sides to see Gers through to the competition proper and tomorrow’s draw in Istanbul.
Tonight’s team boasted two changes from the weekend visit to Hibs.
In came Glen Kamara and Malik Tillman, taking the places of Ryan Jack and Rabbi Matondo.
That meant it was the same back five of Jon McLaughlin in goal with James Tavernier, Connor Goldson, James Sands and Borna Barisic in front of him.
Kamara joined Tillman and John Lundstram in the middle of the park, while Tom Lawrence and Ryan Kent provided support to Antonio Colak.
Both Jack and Matondo made the bench tonight next to Allan McGregor, Robby McCrorie, Ridvan, Leon King, Adam Devine, Steven Davis, Scott Arfield, Scott Wright, Fashion Jr and young striker Robbie Ure.
Conditions as we approached kick-off in Eindhoven were pretty incredible for Northern Europe at the end of August – the temperature at 9pm local still hovering around 30 degrees with barely a breath of wind and a heavy humidity hanging in the air. Indeed, it was a total contrast from the cool, wet conditions of Ibrox eight days ago in the first leg.
Gers won themselves a corner within 30 seconds of this one getting off and running, but Lawrence’s ball from the left was claimed by Walter Benitez in goal.
From there, it was a high-energy start from the home side, with their first effort being a weak Cody Gakpo 25-yarder that McLaughlin gathered with ease.
Kent then tested Benitez with a fierce, low drive from 25-yards that he did well to hold onto – and that shot just around the 15 minute mark marked the start of some decent domination and play from Gers where they forced a few corners and Kent had another effort that cleared the crossbar this time.
Lundstram then saw a fierce drive from 25-yards go just wide when set up by super work from Tillman and Colak, while at the other end, somehow Luuk de Jong failed to turn home a Jordan Teze ball that was flashed across the face of goal.
Ibrahim Sangare then had a free header from a corner that he sent over the bar, before de Jong got in front of Goldson to poke an effort straight at McLaughlin which the goalkeeper held well.
The chances just kept coming for the home side as we approached half-time – Gakpo did well to burst forward and work the angle for the shot when he entered the area, but he blasted over, and 0-0 is how it remained at the break.
PSV had begun the second half the brighter of the two sides, but it was Gers who had the first big opportunity on 56 minutes.
On the edge of the box, Lawrence did superbly to wriggle away from three PSV defenders to get the shot away, and what a shot it was, with only the underside of the bar keeping it out.
Then on 60 minutes, Rangers hit the front.
Goalkeeper Benitez played a short pass out to Andre Ramalho on the edge of his area, but pressing the ball to win and claim possession was Malik Tillman.
He did so well to get into the area, and after doing so, he squared for Antonio Colak to tap home into the empty net from close range to spark bedlam among the band of traveling bears away up in the corner of the Philips Stadion.
It was almost 2-0 seven minutes later when Benitez was forced to save well from an excellent Tillman effort from the edge of the area, and then Colak scooped an effort from similar distance over the bar.
McLaughlin had to save well from Xavi Simons as PSV made a big opening on 74 minutes, but Gers were coping well with whatever PSV could throw at them.
Armando Obispo had a big chance in the first minute of stoppage time, but Gers saw it out for a famous, famous win.
RANGERS: McLaughlin, Tavernier, Goldson, Sands, Barisic, Kamara (Arfield, 73), Lundstram, Tillman, Lawrence (Wright, 73), Kent, Colak (Fashion Jr, 92)
SUBS: McGregor, McCrorie, Ridvan, King, Devine, Davis, Jack, Matondo, Ure.
PSV EINDHOVEN: Benitez, Teze, Obispo, Ramalho (Til, 62), Sangare, de Jong (Simons, 45), Gakpo, Gutierrez (Mwene, 62), Veerman, Saibari (Vinicius, 76), Max (van Ginkel, 86)
SUBS: Drommel, Waterman, Hoever, Branthwaite, Luckassen, Bakayoko, Savio.
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