Former European giants Rangers, Frankfurt roll back the years for Europa League final
Madrid, Spain - Ten years after financial oblivion plunged them into Scotland’s bottom tier, Rangers are on the brink of lifting their first European trophy in half a century as they meet Eintracht Frankfurt in the final of the Europa League on Wednesday.
Administration, liquidation and relegation all blighted a broken club in 2012 but if the Rangers recovery was complete when they won the Scottish Premiership again last season, a final in Seville now offers them a shot at European glory too.
“We’re one game away from making history,” Rangers midfielder Aaron Ramsey said on Monday as the squad departed for Spain, the final leg of a journey that began eight months ago in defeat and disappointment.
With the chance to play in the Champions League on the back of winning the Scottish title, Rangers instead lost to Malmo in the third qualifying round, a result that set up a play-off to reach the Europa League with Alashkert from Armenia.
There were more prestigious opponents to come as Rangers, under Giovanni van Bronckhorst from November after Steven Gerrard left for Aston Villa, defeated Borussia Dortmund, Red Star Belgrade, Braga and Leipzig in the knock-out rounds to reach their first European final in 14 years.
A victory would earn the club its first cup on the continent since Rangers beat Dynamo Moscow 3-2 in Barcelona to lift the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1972.
“This is a chance for them to be in the history books of this club and really get an historic win,” sad Van Bronckhorst.
“Then the stories they will tell in years to come will be the same stories that the players from 1972 tell to my players.
“I’ve said it before you have to dream of something to really achieve it. You can work hard and really give everything to achieve your goal and that is beautiful.”
Frankfurt will start the match as favourites after already knocking out Real Betis, Barcelona and West Ham.
It will be Frankfurt’s first European final since beating Borussia Moenchengladbach to win the UEFA Cup in 1980 while the club retains happy memories of games against Rangers, after thrashing the Glasgow side 12-4 on aggregate in the semi-finals of the European Cup 20 years before.