Three things learned in Rangers 2-1 loss v Red Star Belgrade
Rangers booked their place in the Europa League quarter final draw despite disappointment on the night with a 2-1 loss away to Red Star Belgrade at the Marakana.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side eased past the Serbian outfit 4-2 on aggregate thanks to their scintillating 3-0 win at Ibrox in the first leg.
All eyes will now be on the draw that takes place on Friday (March 18) at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland, where the Bears will find out who they face in the quarter and semi-final respectively.
Rangers can deal with pressure
The Marakana is one of the hardest places to go in world football. The two-minute-long tunnel walk as well as the breath-taking atmosphere from the fans creates a brilliant spectacle for the spectator but if you are facing Red Star, not so much.
The Gers came under much scrutiny after their first half capitulation suffered at Celtic with the atmosphere from the home fans seemingly sucking the life out of van Bronckhorst’s men.
Despite a shaky start, going one nil down early on, Rangers dealt with the pressure brilliantly and saw the game out without conceding again in the first half and levelling the score line through Kent.
McGregor still has it
The Bears veteran goalkeeper has come under so much scrutiny in recent weeks with several major mistakes costing the team vital points in the title race. Many believe that the 40-year-old was completely done and looked forward to seeing the back of him with his contract up at the end of the season, but he has rediscovered his form.
He actually kept the Light Blues in the game for large parts with several key saves including an impressive double save to keep the score at 1-0. He was a calming presence whilst operating as the last line of defence and the defenders really benefited from his experience.
Despite his up and down season, he will be hugely missed when he eventually leaves the club.
Rangers can win the Europa League
The lads have exceeded all expectations this season. It will be very difficult, but they have more than shown they have enough to win the competition.
The Gers breezed past Borussia Dortmund, one of the favourites to win the competition. They made it look easy against the German giants when nobody expected them to win.
Likewise against Red Star Belgrade, they performed very maturely over the two legs and dealt with the Serbian side’s quality excellently.
Anything is possible over two legs, especially with one of them being at Ibrox with the fans, the twelfth man.
In other Rangers news, View: Aaron Ramsey having big impact at Ibrox despite injury issues.