NOW IMPS HERO TARGETS RANGERS
Lee is hoping lightning strikes twice as Imps relish prospect of taking Old Firm scalp again
LINCOLN Red Imps hero Lee Casciaro is dreaming of completing an incredible Old Firm double — but insists beating Rangers will be far harder than their famous 2016 shock win over Celtic.
Casciaro scored the only goal in Gibraltar when the Parkhead club were stunned in a Champions League qualifier that marked Brendan Rodgers’ first game in charge. A 3-0 second-leg victory in Glasgow subsequently eased Celtic’s embarrassment.
Rangers now head to the Victoria Stadium on September 17 knowing the one-off nature of this season’s Europa League qualifiers means there is no margin for error.
Still a key man for club and country at the age of 38, police officer Casciaro hopes Red Imps can summon a performance to ask the right questions of Steven Gerrard’s side.
However, he feels the warning provided by recent history will ensure the Ibrox outfit are far better prepared for the match than their cross-city rivals were four years ago.
‘Rangers is probably the biggest and best club we could have drawn,’ Casciaro told Sportsmail. ‘It will be a fantastic occasion and could be the highlight of the season already.
‘We know we’re going to find it a lot harder than Celtic, because Rangers will probably do their homework more than what happened before.
‘Back then, it was the first game for Celtic under a new coach. The league season hadn’t started yet.
‘Now Rangers are up and running for six games and doing very well at the top of the table, so physically they will likely be much sharper than when Celtic came over.
‘It’s going to be much harder to get a victory, but who knows what can happen? It’s a one-legged tie to get to the next round.
‘We just have to play to our strengths and try to defend brilliantly.
‘If we can have one of those days where everything goes for us, then you just never know. One leg in Gibraltar, on the artificial pitch and with the weather, it could benefit us.’
Casciaro also scored Gibraltar’s first-ever goal in a senior competitive international in a 6-1 defeat by Scotland in 2015. Netting a winner against Celtic, though, delivered an additional level of fame.
‘I have a Scottish colleague at work, another police officer who came over from the UK to join us,’ laughed Casciaro.
‘He was dying to meet me when he arrived because he is a Rangers supporter and I was the one who scored the goal to beat Celtic on that day. He was really happy for us. I don’t think he would be happy if I scored again.’
Red Imps were awarded a 3-0 preliminary round win over Prishtina after the Kosovan club returned positive coronavirus tests that twice forced the fixture to be called off.
Casciaro then scored in a 2-0 home victory over Union Titus of Luxembourg to put his team though to meet Rangers.
He admits UEFA’s Covid-enforced move away from twolegged ties is a double-edged sword. While giving Red Imps a shot at a 90-minute shock, it removes the opportunity for their players to perform at Ibrox — albeit the game would be behind closed doors.
‘When I think back to 2016, the pitch didn’t help Celtic,’ said Casciaro. ‘It was horrendous. ‘Now it has been changed to a more UEFA-approved surface.
‘It will be easier for Rangers to play on and they came over here last year (to play St Joseph’s), so they are probably accustomed to what they will face.
‘But it will be a really enjoyable experience and let’s see what we can get from it. It’s sad we won’t get a chance to play at Ibrox but that’s just the situation in the world just now.
‘You can see from the Europa League results Rangers have had since Steven Gerrard took over that they are a really good team.
‘He was one the best central midfielders there has been. Now he is getting strong experience as a manager.
‘I’m sure he will be telling his players: “Look, this game is no joke”. He will want them to stay really focused and not risk an upset like what happened with Celtic, because to go out of the Europa League would be a very big setback.
‘Unlike in 2016, there would be no opportunity to turn it around in Glasgow.’
Motherwell will meet a familiar face after being drawn away to Coleraine.
The Northern Irish side, led by former St Mirren manager Oran Kearney, recorded an outstanding penalty shoot-out win over Maribor in the last round following a 1-1 draw in Slovenia.
The other Europa League tie on September 17 sees Aberdeen travel to Norway to meet Viking Stavanger.