KATIC SILENCES COCKY CROATS
EUROPA LEAGUE Defender has the last word as countrymen fail to back up boasts
WHILE nerves were stretched, the job was done and a point duly made. After all the pre-match talk from Osijek, how ironic that a fellow Croatian should have the decisive say for Rangers.
For young centre-back Nikola Katic, this was an evening to savour. His close-range, secondhalf header was just enough to quell the threat from his homeland and propel the Ibrox club into a Europa League third qualifying round meeting with Maribor.
That first competitive goal will doubtless be valuable experience as he seeks to establish himself following a £2million summer switch from Slaven Belupo.
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 Steven Gerrard’s emerging side.
They had to rely on the excellence of Allan McGregor more than once, but re-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 stoppage time.
That ultimately ensured Osijek couldn’t walk the walk. In recent days, boasts of being better in every department from midfielder Robert Mudrazija had been accompanied by manager Zoran Zekic questioning the top-level worth of 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. He wanted to see answers on the pitch.
Come full-time, his players had placed a finger on Croatian lips. After ten signings, and the likelihood of two more to come, Gerrard’s vision obviously remains a work in progress. They will likely have to improve again when Maribor, so often the scourge of Scottish hopes, arrive next Thursday evening.
Even so, surviving here will have done no damage to confidence ahead of Sunday’s mouth-watering Premiership opener at Aberdeen. We will learn more about Gerrard’s men in the north-east.
The Ibrox boss made just one change to the first-leg line-up, as Jamie Murphy dropped to the bench to be replaced by the hustling energy of Daniel Candeias. There was also a landmark to note as McGregor made his 48th Euro appearance for Rangers. In doing so he eclipsed Stefan Klos to assume the club record for a goalkeeper.
The 36-year-old would ensure the occasion drew a fine personal display to add to the continental catalogue from his first Ibrox spell.
Stung by the lacklustre nature of the first half in Sunday’s friendly win over Wigan, Gerrard had demanded an aggressive start here. Something to harness the vocal power of another full house.
Drive and tempo were certainly present, even if those qualities weren’t always accompanied by fluency. The jittery nature of the opening period was understandable.
With neither side able to assume full control, periods of pressure shifted back and forth across a rain-greased Ibrox pitch.
Rangers could have secured a dream opening inside three minutes. Lassana Coulibaly, the Malian powerhouse signed on loan from SC Angers in France, showed impressive desire to win a corner for the home side. Unfortunately, that wasn’t quite matched by his composure once it was taken.
Ryan Kent fizzed a terrific, deep ball into the penalty area, but Coulibaly couldn’t sort out his feet and a decent chance flew over the bar.
Morelos had been the man to make the difference in Croatia seven days previously and the Colombian was again looking lively. Switching between the two Osijek centre-backs, he sought to provide angles and options.
That work was almost rewarded when Ryan Jack nicked possession in midfield before raking a terrific, 40-yard pass into space in front of the striker. Morelos set off after it, driving into the area before his angled effort was blocked by Marko Malenica. Rangers maintained the heat and the Osijek goalkeeper was again called into action by Candeias.
From there, the Croatians began to pose an increased threat. Some of the Ibrox concerns were self-inflicted, such as when Jon Flanagan sloppily gave away possession from a free-kick, yet they were also worried by the craft in the visitors’ armoury.
Mudrazija was chief among their practitioners as he tried to back up his pre-match boast of Osijek’s superiority. The 21-year-old midfielder timed a run to break into the home area only for his low drive to be saved by McGregor.
Coulibaly was next to deny Mudrazija with a perfectly-timed tackle just as he was about to unleash. It would, however, be McGregor who ended the half with the greatest amount of gratitude from the home support.
A double save seven minutes before the break proved he had lost none of his agility. Mudrazija was again involved, setting up Nigerian Ezekiel Henty for a firm hit that McGregor parried.
The Scotland man was then back on his feet in time to repel Petar Bockaj when he tried to drill a shot through a near-post gap. After that, Rangers were the team more grateful to hear the half-time whistle.
Gerrard wanted his team on the front foot again. And that was precisely what happened as they claimed a precious second leg advantage within eight minutes of the restart.
A fine move preceded the breakthrough. Some slick touches allowed Coulibaly to drive into space down the right before firing a low cross towards the far post. Kent had space as he homed in on it, but an attempt to send the ball back into the opposite corner of the net was blocked by the rushed recovery of Alen Grgic.
Osijek’s reprieve was only brief. After the resulting corner, Rangers won a free-kick that captain James Tavernier arced into the area.
Malenica made a mess of trying to punch it clear but it still required good work from Morelos to keep the chance alive. His header sent the ball back into the six-yard box, from where Katic got to nod into an unprotected net.
The 21-year-old took off on a slide of delight across the turf, his emotion matched by Gerrard’s fist-pumping celebration in the technical area.
Ibrox reverberated with the kind of roof-raising noise the manager had been seeking. Osijek appeared shaken and deflated. But not for long.
They surged forward again during the closing stages with McGregor denying Mudrazija before he was finally beaten by Barisic’s deflected drive. The tension was ramped up to 11 but Rangers saw it through.