IMPORTANT European qualifiers at Ibrox have not always drawn the sort of bumper crowd that congregated in Govan tonight to see the second leg of the Champions League third qualifying round double header against Malmo.
The fixtures are not included on season books and some fans have been reluctant in the past to shell out more of their hard-earned cash to see their heroes in action against the lesser lights of the continental game. There was also a confidence that a favourable result would be secured and an expectation that far bigger and better things lay ahead.
When the Scottish champions last played in this stage of this competition back in 2010 – against, ironically enough, the same Swedish opposition – an attendance of just 28,828 filed through the turnstiles and watched Ally McCoist’s men slump to a 1-0 home defeat.
But Rangers could have played part-time Gibraltarian minnows Lincoln Red Imps this evening and every seat in the house would have been filled.
Not being able to watch Steven Gerrard’s side in the flesh has been hard for the ultra-passionate followers of the Glasgow giants to bear since the Covid-19 outbreak 17 months ago. So being allowed back inside their spiritual home en masse was always an offer that would be snapped up enthusiastically. And it was.
The Union Bears unfurled a banner display in the Broomloan Road Stand before the action commenced which read “You’ll Always Hear Us Roaring From The Stands At Ibrox Park”. The noise the sell-out generated was deafening. It could have been picked up in Scania.
James Tavernier and his team mates had an uphill task to secure a place in the play-off against either Olympiakos of Greece or Ludogorets Razgrad of Bulgaria after performing poorly in the Eleda Stadio seven days earlier and slumping to a 2-1 defeat.
However, having their 12th man cheering them on from kick-off for the first time since the Europa League last 16 showdown with Bayer Leverkusen just days before the first lockdown boosted their chances considerably.
There were fears about whether Rangers, whose 40 game unbeaten run in the cinch Premiership had come to an end with a 1-0 loss at the hands of Dundee United at Tannadice on Saturday, would get a hard time from their supporters if they failed to perform at their best once again.
Gerrard, who made four changes to his starting line-up in bid to avoid another reverse, acknowledged as much pre-match. “We have to start the game with the right intensity,” he said. “We have to start on the front foot and be as aggressive as we can. If we do that these fans will come with us. It is going to be a big performance from the supporters. We need to find a performance on the pitch to match that.”
His charges certainly fed off the positivity showering down on them from the stands. When Alfredo Morelos got on the end of a Ryan Kent cross and netted his 28th goal in Europe in the 18th minute to put the hosts in front and level the tie on aggregate it registered at 10 on the Richter Scale. When Bonke Innocent was sent off for a second bookable offence in added-on time at the end of the first-half it raised the roof.
But the raucous atmosphere did not intimidate Antonio Colak. The Croatian striker netted two stunning goals in the space of five minutes to put Jon Dahl Tomasson’s team 4-2 in front with little over half an hour remaining. His classy brace somewhat killed the atmosphere. The fans continued to give their backing regardless. But their side lacked their usual spark up front. Many had seen enough with five minutes remaining and started to head for the exits.
It was a huge evening for Rangers. Clinching a lucrative place in the Champions League group stages will be an important milestone in their recovery from their financial implosion of 2012. They will, though, have to wait to take part in the competition proper after suffering this bitter disappointment against Malmo. Still, it was also a large stride forward in the long road back to normality from the coronavirus pandemic.
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