In the final match of Group D, a super strike from Cedric Itten and a second-half goal from Ianis Hagi means Gers are seeded for Monday’s Round of 32 draw having topped the section with 14 points.
It’s a superb achievement for Gers to have come through such a tough-group, and again highlights the progress which is continually being made by the club on this stage – particularly given the fact Steven Gerrard was able to name seven changes tonight and still see his side win so impressively.
Indeed, from the side which defeated Ross County 4-0 in the Highlands on Sunday, Connor Goldson, Leon Balogun, Glen Kamara and Joe Aribo were the only four to retain their starting places.
That said, it was still another strong Rangers XI which will took to the field on a freezing cold evening in western Poland.
Jon McLaughlin came in for his first European appearance in goal for Gers tonight, with 19 year-old Nathan Patterson also making his first European start for the club at right-back. Goldson and Balogun were the two centre-halves, with Borna Barisic back in at right-back.
Bongani Zungu was in midfield next to Kamara and Scott Arfield, while Aribo and Ianis Hagi supported Cedric Itten.
It was Poznan who had the first chance of the game early-on, Pedro Tiba getting a 25-yard shot at goal from a cleared corner which Jon McLaughlin did well to hold.
Lubomir Satka then headed an effort over the bar before Rangers started taking real control of the match.
A Patterson cross was deflected by Jakub Kaminski into the path of Cedric Itten before the Polish defender recovered to make a super block 10-yards from goal to deny the Swiss surely netting.
Itten wasn’t to be denied for long, however, as he banged in a stunning strike on 32 minutes to hand the visitors the lead.
That man Kaminski was slack with a back-pass which Itten intercepted. He ran into the area with the ball, and while Djordje Cmomark forced him wide, from an acute angle to the right of the target, Itten rifled it into the roof of the net past goalkeeper Filip Bednarek.
It was a howitzer of a strike – his third Rangers goal - and just rewards for what was an outstanding individual showing from him.
Itten then nearly turned provider, setting Ianis Hagi away one-on-one, but Kaminski did well to get back and force his eventual effort behind for a corner.
Into the second half, and Bednarek denied Hagi, who took a shot on from just outside the ‘D’ following fine work from Itten to win the ball back.
Itten then flicked a header under pressure just over from a Borna Barisic cross, while Jon McLaughlin had to look lively at the other end to push a Tymoteusz Puchacz free-kick behind. Then, on 72 minutes, Gers went 2-0 to the good.
From a deep, central area, Borna Barisic delivered a super ball onto the head of Connor Goldson 15-yards from goal.
His header looped towards the far corner, bounced down on the line before Ianis Hagi nodded the loose, bouncing ball over the line.
Goldson did his best to claim it, but there is no doubt it was Hagi’s goal – his second of the season.
Hagi then came close to another with a wicked 25-yard effort which Bednarek did well to push wide while Leon Balogun headed a corner from substitute James Tavernier just wide. Arfield curled one just over at the back post from an Aribo cross as Gers looked for a third but 2-0 is how it finished, and the Light Blues can now look ahead to Monday’s draw.
RANGERS: McLaughlin; Patterson (Tavernier, 66), Goldson, Balogun (Bassey, 80), Barisic; Arfield, Zungu (Barker, 77), Kamara; Hagi (Kent, 77), Aribo, Itten (Morelos, 80).
SUBS: McGregor, Kinnear, Stewart, Barjonas, Dickson.
LECH POZNAN: Bednarek, Cmomark, Muhar, Ishak (Awwad, 45), Marchwinski, Skoras (Sykora, 12, Ramirez, 64), Tiba (Moder, 45), Puchacz, Satka, Kaminski, Butko.
SUBS: Bakowski, Malenica, Kravets, Dejewski, Niewiadomski, Czerwinski, Sobol, Borowski.
REFEREE: Jose Maria Sanchez (ESP)
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