Nerves frayed as Rangers
Rangers survived a fraught evening with an excruciatingly tense finale to book their place in the third qualifying round of the Europa League and ensure the feelgood factor surrounding Steven Gerrard’s appointment as manager will continue into Sunday’s Premiership opener at Aberdeen.
Croatian defender Nikola Katic appeared to have seen off the challenge of his compatriots Osijek when he doubled Rangers’ aggregate lead eight minutes into the second half but an 89th-minute strike by the visitors’ captain Borna Barisic left the visitors needing only one more goal to win the tie on away goals.
It was the first goal Rangers have conceded under Gerrard but they held out to secure a meeting with Maribor in the next round. They will need to raise their performance levels significantly if they hope to go all the way to the group stage but, for now, Gerrard can be satisfied that a sense of momentum has been maintained.
While Katic claimed his first competitive goal for Rangers, their real hero on the night was Allan Mcgregor. He produced many memorable and crucial performances in Europe during his first spell at the club and it soon became clear he would need to be at his best on this occasion to defy Osijek’s efforts to overturn their first leg deficit.
But for the Scotland international keeper, Rangers’ 1-0 lead would have been wiped out before half-time as he made three outstanding saves in the opening 45 minutes.
It was a landmark evening for Mcgregor as he made his 48th European appearance for Rangers, a new club record for a goalkeeper as he eclipsed the previous mark set by Stefan Klos.
The 36-year-old’s return this summer has been warmly welcomed by the Rangers support who were grateful for his presence as the Croatians looked to impose themselves on Gerrard’s men.
The home side started well enough and could have made life much easier for themselves after only three minutes when Lassana Coulibaly was unable to react quickly enough to convert a well-delivered corner from Ryan Kent, stabbing the ball over the bar from close range.
A fine through ball by Ryan Jack then sent Alfredo Morelos clear, the Colombian striker forcing a decent save from Osijek keeper Marko Malenica. But that vibrant opening by Rangers subsided all too quickly for Gerrard’s liking as the visitors started to look increasingly dangerous.
Mcgregor made his first telling contribution in the 18th minute when he kept out a powerful shot by the lively Robert Mudrazija. Osijek grew in confidence and it needed a superbly-timed tackle inside the penalty area by Coulibaly to deny Mudrazija another sight of goal two minutes later.
Rangers were struggling to make the most of their own possession in the attacking third with the final pass or cross lacking precision or conviction. On-loan Liverpool midfielder Ovie Ejaria was especially culpable of wastefulness in the final third.
Osijek increased the tempo of their own work as halftime approached and Rangers found themselves under more and more pressure. They had Mcgregor to thank again when he made a superb double save in the 38th minute.
After diving to his left to turn away a curling shot by Nigerian forward Ezekiel Henty, the Rangers number one had to scramble to his feet quickly before getting into position to block Petar Bockaj’s stinging drive at his left-hand post.
The edginess in Rangers’ play would have been a concern for Gerrard as he made his way to the dressing room for his interval debrief and his players duly reappeared with a greater sense of purpose after the break.
Coulibaly, quickly earning the admiration of the Rangers fans with the boundless energy he applied to both his defensive and attacking duties, sparked what proved to be a telling burst of pressure in the 52nd minute.
The Mali international midfielder surged down the right and whipped over a cross to the far post, finding Kent