Leanne Crichton says Rangers serious contenders for Europa League
Leanne Crichton has suggested on BBC Sport that Rangers sent another strong message across Europe on Thursday evening.
The Gers have secured a fantastic 3-0 win in the first leg of their Europa League Round of 16 ties against Red Star at Ibrox.
Crichton has said that the result has come as a “real shock” for everyone and that the Bears are now serious contenders to win the competition.
The former Scotland international said on BBC Sportssound: “I think this will be a real shock to the system for Red Star.
“It is for us too. We thought it would be a tough game for Rangers but they’ve absolutely blown them away. It sends another message across Europe that Rangers are serious contenders.”
Staying calm
It wasn’t a spectacular performance like the one Rangers did against Borussia Dortmund, but they did more than enough to pull off another fantastic win.
Red Star came into the fixture on the back of a strong domestic form, and it was thought that it would be a tough game for the Gers.
In the end, it turned out to be a comfortable win for the home side.
The visitors had an opportunity to come back into the game in the first half when they were awarded a penalty.
Alexsandr Katai hammered the penalty low but veteran goalkeeper Allan McGregor produced a terrific save to deny it.
Rangers skipper James Tavernier once again proved his class and has now opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the last three European games.
The Marakana stadium has the reputation to generate a hostile atmosphere but Rangers should be able to complete the job next week.
In other Rangers news, Mark Hateley is baffled by Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s decisions.