Ejaria puts nine-man Geers back on the map
With Morelos and Flanagan sent off, Gerrard’s men hold out to book place in Europa
THEY are on their way. They don’t know how they got there and they don’t care how they got there, but Rangers are in the Europa League group stages.
This was a draw that could easily have been a defeat but felt like a win. The biggest night of Steven Gerrard’s managerial career, the most important that Rangers have had for several years, ended, somehow, in European success.
The 1-1 scoreline doesn’t come close to telling the tale of an extraordinary result and performance as Rangers, reduced to 10 men and then nine, overcame the final hurdle on the road to the group stages.
Ahead through Ovie Ejaria, Rangers should have had a comfortable night but red cards in either half for Alfredo Morelos and Jon Flanagan ensured it was anything but.
Come the end of a remarkable, nerve-shredding encounter, Gerrard’s side had achieved what they set out to back in July. First it was Shkupi, then Osijek and Maribor. Most importantly, Ufa were beaten.
Gerrard opted not to take the chance to train on the plastic pitch at the Neftyanik Stadium the night before the game as Rangers were put through their paces on home soil before making the flight to Russia.
He insisted the surface wouldn’t be used as an excuse but it was certainly a hindrance for Rangers. From the off, they looked unsure on a park that wasn’t conducive to flowing football.
The scrappy, stop-start nature of the action should have suited Rangers, especially after they had taken the lead after just nine minutes.
As starts go, Gerrard couldn’t have hoped for a better one and it was a moment of real quality from Ejaria as he collected the ball just inside the area and curled a strike into the far corner.
There may have been a touch of good fortune about his first Gers goal against Motherwell on Sunday, but there was nothing lucky about this one as he showed what he is capable of when it mattered most.
Now, the game had to be managed and Ufa had to be kept at bay for as long as possible. Rangers couldn’t even get to the break, though.
A low shot from Ejaria that was deflected just wide was as close as they came to doubling their advantage. It was Ufa that always looked more likely to find the net.
Rangers survived a scare when Connor Goldson blocked an effort from Dmitry Zhivoglyadov after Sylvester Igboun had chipped Allan McGregor. Next time, Rangers weren’t so lucky.
Dmitri Sysuev burst clear down the right channel and was in behind Rangers with only McGregor to beat. He did so with a clinical finish as he fired home from inside the area.
For the first time, the home crowd really seemed to believe and the roar that greeted the second goal of the night lifted Ufa. Soon, they were given another huge one as Morelos saw red.
The free-kick he conceded was soft but his reaction was senseless and reckless as he kicked the ball away and then turned to berate the linesman that had penalised him in the first place.
His dissent earned him a yellow card and a second was quickly followed by red as referee Tobias Stieler took a dim view of the Colombian’s outburst. His remonstrations were futile and the damage was already done.
From a position of strength, Rangers were now up against it. Thankfully for Gerrard, they would get to the break without suffering another blow from which they may not have been able to recover.
The closing minutes of the first half were all Ufa and the hosts should have pulled level in the tie in injury time. Sysuev had really come to the fore as the game had progressed and he should have had an assist to his credit when he picked out Igboun at the back post.
He could only find the side netting with a header, however, as Rangers breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the dressing room with plenty to ponder.
It was no surprise to see Kyle Lafferty introduced and it was Candeias that made way as the Northern Irishman was tasked with leading the line for a hugely significant 45 minutes.
The next goal was crucial and it almost arrived at both ends within seconds of each other as Rangers were denied and then relieved.
Ryan Kent had been quiet on the left flank but a direct run put Ufa on the back foot as he made it into the box. He directed a shot towards the far corner but it ended narrowly wide of the post as Aleksandr Belenov made a superb reaction stop to turn a deflected effort to safety.
From the Gers’ corner, Ufa broke and were quickly at the other end. The shot from Zhivoglyadov whistled just over the bar, while his next a few minutes later was blocked by Flanagan.
There was almost no respite for Rangers as Ufa piled forward time after time and it was substitute Ivan Oblyakov who had the Russians’ next chance. Somehow, with only McGregor to beat, he put his shot wide of target and then held his head in his hands.
Gerrard would have felt like the clock was ticking increasingly slowly as the hour mark came and went and Rangers’ task soon got even harder as 10 men became nine.
Once again, the damage was self-inflicted as Flanagan picked up a second booking and followed Morelos up the tunnel early. The ball was there to be won in the air but Flanagan was adjudged to have led with his elbow as Zhivoglyadov hit the deck.
The defender was rightly bemused by the decision but referee Stieler had his mind made up and the odds now looked stacked against Rangers as Ufa went all in for the closing stages.
Every glance at the scoreboard gave Rangers faith that they were edging ever closer but they were far from comfortable. This was edge of your seat stuff, but not for the right reasons.
The shots and crosses came from all angles with regularity. McGregor saved from Ondrej Vanek and then threw himself to his right to somehow turn away an Igboun header.
Rangers were almost camped right on top of their keeper but still they stood firm. Above the individual heroics, there was a collective resolve.
Just seconds before the 90-minute mark arrived, Vyacheslav Krotov hit the post with a header. It looked like being one of those nights for Ufa but Rangers didn’t mind one bit.
When a Jemal Tabidze header was ruled out for a foul on Ejaria in stoppage time, that was that. In the corner of the stadium, the small band of Gers fans had a reason to sing and celebrate.
They can continue to chant and dream of Baku for now. The reality of a return to European competition is all that really matters for Gerrard and Rangers.