ROCK ‘N’ STROLL
Gibraltar walk in the park for Rangers
THE men in black ensured that there would be no Europa League faces of red for Rangers.
The Gideon Society distributed free bibles outside the Victoria Stadium before kick-off but Gers, wearing their natty new away kit, left the locals without a prayer.
It’s a long road between Gibraltar in July and Gdansk next May but a stirring second-half display rendered the return leg at Ibrox next week as little more than a pre-season leg stretch for the Light Blues.
The Mediterranean minnows’ annual turnover of £300,000 wouldn’t buy you the right foot of Alfredo Morelos and the Colombian signalled his return to top-team action by coming off the bench and nodding his first goal of the season.
By that time in the match, with 14 minutes remaining, Rangers were standing as dominant and tall as the outcrop that towers 400 metres above the picturesque little ground.
St Joseph’s threatened to make this a stuffy occasion for Steven Gerrard’s side in the first half as they were everything the Rangers boss must surely have expected.
They were cagey, organised and only ever likely to carry a goal threat at a set-piece as Allan McGregor slapped on the factor 50 and topped up his summer holiday tan.
Quality told after the interval when Ryan Jack, Sheyi Ojo, Borna Barisic and then Morelos underlined the difference between well-paid pros and taxi drivers and teachers.
There are 34 miles of tunnels buried inside this British fortification and they would have been easier to negotiate in the first half than a route to goal for Gers.
A lack of quality deliveries from wide areas forced them inside and although Steven Davis worked hard to probe, the traffic was heavier middle to front than the congested streets around the town outside.
A plastic pitch on which the ball ran as true as a politician’s promise didn’t help but Rangers struggled to find a rhythm so early in their season against a style of play they will face often in Scotland in months to come.
Ojo had a shot deflected wide early on as he bustled forward on the counter and the on-loan Liverpool winger also had a shot saved inside the left-hand post by Francisco Vera.
Chances were at a premium for Jermain Defoe and his frustration was evident midway through the first half when he was booked for a petulant foul on Cristian Pecci, minutes after he had toe-poked a shot over.
He also had a goalbound effort blocked by Federico Villar and set up Ojo after half an hour to produce a fine stop from Vera at his front post. But the Light Blues were hardly free flowing and incisive.
Glen Kamara saw a shot from 25 yards whistle inches wide as the interval approached and Davis screwed a shot wide with the last kick of the ball in the first half when he really should have hit the target.
St Joseph’s created a couple of half chances that caused anxiety for Connor Goldson and Co, not least when Pecci and Domingo Ferrer hooked volleys over the top when greater composure would have brought more reward.
All nerves were settled three minutes after the interval when Rangers broke the deadlock as Jack buried a volley from close range off a delightful delivery from Barisic.
The Croatian has struggled to convince since joining from Osijek but the assist was such a boost to his confidence he even followed it up with a stunning free-kick midway through the second half.
His left-foot effort from 20 yards was pushed away by keeper Francisco Vera and although Connor Goldson followed up to make sure, the ball had already crossed the line. In between, the game – and the tie – had been put to bed when Ojo curled a delightful second goal into the corner of the net after one of his trademark runs inside from the right wing on to his left foot.
By that stage, Rangers had earned the right to play the game at the pace of a training game as St Joseph’s began to wilt in the baking heat and constant pressure.
Ojo had hooked a shot off a Tavernier free-kick narrowly over the top moments before Jack’s opener and
Jordan Jones, who grew in confidence as the match progressed, also sent a right-foot shot inches wide.
Ojo was denied a second when Vera beat away his drive from 16 yards after Jones, Morelos and Kamara had combined to carve open a bedraggled home defence. The arrival of Morelos after an hour, alongside Joe Aribo, only served to turn the screw still further on the home side.
Gerrard was crowded by kids for selfies and a group photograph taken by a local snapper will take pride of place on many a Mediterranean mantelpiece in the days ahead.
The biggest smile belonged to Morelos, who scored the fourth his side deserved when he rose to connect with a Tavernier delivery off a short corner from the right.
Vera tried desperately to keep the ball out but was left clawing at fresh air – the same position his teammates face as they prepare for a second leg that could turn into quite a hiding.