Rangers rookie Gerrard delighted as Katic seals victory
WHILE nerves were stretched, the job was done and a point made by Steven Gerrard’s Rangers. After all the pre-match trash talk from Osijek, how ironic that a fellow Croat should have the decisive say for Rangers. For young centre back Nikola Katic, this was an evening to savour. His close-range, second-half header was just enough to propel the Ibrox club into a Europa League third qualifying round meeting with Maribor. But the value of this victory stretched far beyond Katic’s moment of personal glory. On a muggy, excruciatingly tense night in Govan, this counted as a test passed by Gerrard’s emerging side. They had to rely on goalkeeper Allan McGregor more than once, but emerged stronger in the second half to complete their mission. Conceding the first goal of the Gerrard era to Borna Barisic after 89 minutes could have been a cue for late panic yet no further cracks appeared during four minutes of injury-time. Boasts of being better in every department from Osijek midfielder Robert Mudrazija had been accompanied by manager Zoran Zekic questioning the worth of Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos. Gerrard declined to respond. The Liverpool legend has been around the block far too many times to become embroiled in an unnecessary war of words. After 10 signings and the likelihood of two more to come, his vision remains a work in progress. Last night’s victory was overshadowed by violence outside Ibrox before kick-off.