RANGERS may be languishing in mid-table in the Ladbrokes Premiership and in danger of falling even further adrift if they lose their next game against leaders Hearts at Ibrox this Sunday. But in European competition Steven Gerrard and his players are experiencing no such difficulties. Their remarkable continental campaign continued last night as they won their second Europa League group match to move to the top of their section.
Their opponents Rapid Vienna may have been mediocre, but, given the length of time that it has been since they competed at this level and considering that their manager has only been in situ for little over four months, it was another hugely impressive result.
The Rangers fans in the 47,534-strong crowd certainly enjoyed themselves. They have been starved of such occasions due to their well-documented off-field problems in recent seasons. They enjoyed this fine win and then some. They stayed in large numbers until long after the final whistle to celebrate and laud their heroes. The troubles of the past must have felt like a distant memory.
With Villarreal, who they had drawn 2-2 with in Spain in their opening game last month, drawing 3-3 with Spartak Moscow in Russia in the other Group G game they moved a point clear with four games to play. Who knows where this particular journey will take them?
Rangers fell behind against the run of play in the first-half when Veton Berisha netted. But an Alfredo Morelos double and a James Tavernier penalty secured a richly-deserved triumph on a memorable night. If they can take this form and feelgood factor into their domestic games there is no telling where it will take them.
This was the first European group game to be played at Ibrox since Manchester United came calling in the Champions League way back in November of 2010. Their rivals on this occasion were not quite so formidable and the competition slightly less prestigious, but Rangers supporters, who have been through rather a lot in the intervening period, turned out in large numbers for the occasion nevertheless.
A healthy contingent of Vienna fans, too, made the trip to Glasgow. They stoked up the atmosphere in the packed stadium as the teams lined up before kick-off by holding their scarves aloft in a “You’ll Never Walk Alone” style and unfurling a banner which read “Come On You Boys In Green”. The stage was set for a cracking night.
Gerrard had stated he was looking for a reaction from certain individuals in his team after the defeat to Livingston at Almondvale on Sunday and he certainly gave plenty of his players a chance to redeem themsleves. He only made two changes to the side that had been such a bitter disappointment at the weekend. Jon Flanagan came in for Borna Barisic at left back while Ryan Kent took over from Kyle Lafferty ahead of him.
Rangers were certainly solid at the back. Allan McGregor had been their hero on numerous occasions during the qualifying rounds. But he had little to do on this occasion. Andrija Pavlovik got on the end of a Marvin Potzmann cross from the left wing and flashed a header wide. But the home team contained the visitors effectively.
Until, that is, three minutes before half-time.
With Goran Djuricin being sacked at the weekend following a disappointing run of results, this was the first match that Dietmar Kuhbauer, their former midfielder, had taken charge of. The change of manager made this a tricky one for his opposite number to prepare for. Would their opponents approach the game as they had done under Djuricin? Or would Kuhbauer make changes?
Vienna looked like a team who have struggled in the Austrian Bundesliga, not a side who had pulled off a shock win over Spartak in their opening group game, for large swathes of the 90 minutes. The only took the lead after assistant referee Guillaume Debart somehow failed to notice that Andrei Ivan was offside as he broke down the right wing just a few yards in front of him.
Still, Flanagan, Connor Goldson and Joe Worrall had ample opportunities to clear the danger before Veton Berisha side footed it in at the far post. McGregor was unable to hide his frustration at the woeful defending and unexpected turn of events and was booked by referee Ruddy Buquet for mouthing off at him.
Fortunately for all of them, Morelos had equalised just a minute later. The little striker slid in beyond Richard Strebinger and turned a Tavernier delivery into the net to the delight and relief of the home support. It was his ninth strike of the season.
Both teams emerged after half-time with renewed purpose and there was certainly far more of an edge to proceedings, both in the stands and on the field of play, in the second half, but the quality of play was not a whole lot better.
Rangers pushed hard for a winner. Ovie Ejaria did superbly to connect with a Tavernier delivery into the opposition penalty box in the 68th minute. But Strebinger produced a fine one-handed save to deny him and the score remained level.
They deserved to go in front. Mario Sonnleitner tripped Morelos after Ejaria had supplied him and Buquet rightly pointed to the spot. Tavernier stepped forward and drilled the spot kick into the top right corner to send the decibel levels inside the stadium through the roof.
Daniel Candeias played a cute back heel to Morelos in injury-time the little centre forward gratefully accepted and slotted the fourth goal of an extraordinary evening.
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