‘Ibrox baby, it’s just different!’
Ianis Hagi might have been in the stands last night but his most iconic Rangers one-liner lives on and is as relevant as it was when he first uttered it five years ago after a miraculous comeback win over Braga. Punters have been trying to encapsulate the magic which comes from Rangers under the lights in the Europa League.
Thursday night is Rangers night and the gutsy 2-1 win over Union Saint Gilloise has propelled Philippe Clement’s side directly into the last 16 of the tournament they adore. And the special vibe wasn’t lost on observers from beyond these shores. Record Sport looks at the best reactions as the Ibrox side earned themselves a bye.
Het Nieuwsblad (Belgium)
It was always known and confirmed again last night: Philippe Clement is a man of his word. “We will have a tempo match”, promised the Rangers coach before the clash with Union. And he was right. Union came out of the dressing room furious, but did not reward themselves for that good start to the second half. First Ivanovic pushed a good cross from Vanhoutte too easily over. Barely a minute later Fusseini saw a goal cleared off the line by Tavernier and Ivanovic just chipped the restart over. Union really deserved a goal.
“Mac Allister’s 2-1 proved to be ‘too little, too late’. Union had a golden opportunity in Glasgow to become the first Belgian team to beat Rangers at home and, based on the ‘expected goals’ – 1.54 against 2.30 – should have won. Only the Brussels attackers – especially Fusseini, Ivanovic and even Rodriguez – forgot what football is all about: converting their chances, scoring goals. A point for improvement for the intermediate round. In that round, Ajax or the Romanian FCSB, the former Steaua Bucharest, await.”
DH Sports (Belgium)
“By wasting chances, the Brussels team were punished by the surgical Scots. After some good work on the left, Dessers found Cerny with a cross from behind. The Czech then beat the Unionist captain to put his team in the clear. At the end of the match, Mac Allister gave the Unionists hope with a magnificent header, which was analysed for a long time by the VAR. A goal that was not enough, however, as the Belgians ultimately lost two goals to one despite great chances at the end of the match, including a curling shot from Sykes that went a few centimetres over the crossbar.”
De Standaard (Belgium)
“Union was already certain of the intermediate round. The match against Glasgow Rangers was therefore more of a prestige duel. Red Devil Nicolae Raskin headed the 1-0 into the net for the Scots in the first half (20′). The Brussels players came up, but a goal by Ivanovic was disallowed for offside.
In the second half, Union had chances, but it was Cerny who doubled the score for Rangers. Mac Allister scored a consolation goal. Union thus ends in 20th place. In the intermediate round, Ajax or the Romanian FCSB await. The draw for the intermediate round will take place on Friday “