LEVERKUSEN MACHINE PROVES TOO HOT FOR RANGERS TO HANDLE
SOMEWHERE in the region of 47,000 fired-up fans marched on Ibrox in the hope of seeing their heroes rage. To rage against the dying of the light.
In what may well be the last act of a European football season heading towards inevitable suspension, however, Rangers could not muster the roar of defiance demanded by the occasion.
The collective loss of voice that has afflicted their noisiest performers of late continued on a night of rare Europa League disappointment.
And, just as UEFA prepare to press the pause button on all of their competitions, Steven Gerrard’s men were unlucky to run into a side apparently stuck on fast-forward.
Quicker, technically better, certainly far more clinical, Bayer Leverkusen are probably the best team to have visited Ibrox for quite some time.
Being honest, they ran into a Rangers side well out of form. A team unable to conjure up the continental magic that has sustained them through Scottish struggles.
For Gerrard and his players, never mind supporters, the Europa League has regularly been an absolute tonic for all that ails them.
However ropey things might get on the domestic front, they have been able to rely on this tournament to provide a morale boost — by drawing out breathless performances that have left some fairly tasty teams beaten and broken.
But that theory — the school of thought which holds that Rangers are better suited to European than Scottish football — was always going to be put to the test here.
Because Leverkusen most definitely represented a step up in opposition. And the Light Blues could hardly claim to be at anything other than a low ebb.
Defeated at Tynecastle by Hearts, done over at home by Hamilton, they needed to work miracles to raise themselves to unprecedented heights for this one.
For supporters who had paid their money for this potential last big night of Euro delight, of course, the only option was to believe that anything was possible.
After all, they couldn’t be unaware that this may be their last chance — Sunday’s scheduled visit of Celtic excepted — to savour a grand occasion here for quite some time.
So, while there was no cleverlyworded banner display before kick-off, the flags and drums were impressive enough. This was an experience to be savoured.
Unfortunately, after the noise and colour of the pre-match show, those fans were denied any opportunities to get overly excited by what happened next.
Gerrard’s men clearly had a plan to sit deep and engage only when Leverkusen started to threaten home territory. With the visitors far more proactive when it came to squeezing their opponents high up the park, it promised to be a tense evening.
For this game plan to work, Rangers would need their front three of Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent and Joe Aribo to be sharp, quick and — above all, against an archetypal Bundesliga defensive unit — physically strong enough to retain the ball.
A few groans were directed, slightly unfairly given his isolation, at Morelos for failing to hold it up.
When Rangers were trying to win the ball back, meanwhile, his one-man press was never likely to get it done.
With just about half an hour gone, the home side showed some signs of life, at least. Nothing more subtle than an injection of up-an-at-’em energy seemed to shake Leverkusen.
The crowd, thrilled to see their team on the front foot at last, responded. Maybe this would be another one of those glory nights. Perhaps any quality gap could be bridged by sheer effort and organisation.
The penalty awarded against Rangers, following a VAR intervention, was no more or less ridiculous than most of the daft handball decisions inflicted upon football this season.
This was a timely reminder that, before anyone had even considered the impact of a global pandemic, football’s own pursuit of unattainable perfection — only in the area of officiating, nowhere else — was doing a fine job of killing the game.
Naturally, Rangers claimed a penalty for the very next ball that hit a red shirt in the Leverkusen box. No joy. No chance. Gerrard
Bayer are the best team to have visited Ibrox in quite some time
needed his team to find another gear. To up the pace and at least make Leverkusen sweat on their lead.
The introduction of Flo kamberi for the ineffective Aribo early in the second half looked like proving the catalyst for just such a step change, with Morelos’ first genuine sight on goal moments later suggesting an immediate effect.
The home XI were energised, enlivened, encouraged to close down and harass the men in red. And to run at them with the ball.
They were forcing mistakes from opponents who suddenly didn’t look so slick or in control. Until, of course, they did.
The second goal, a beautiful strike from Charles Aranguiz — just moments after Steven Davis had denied him with a goal-line clearance — was a killer. George edmundson’s thunderous response 15 minutes from time at least got the fans engaged again. Yet Leverkusen fully deserved their third. even if scorer Leon Bailey certainly didn’t deserve the bottle aimed at him from the Union Bears section during his celebrations. Seriously, lads?
If and when the second leg of this tie is eventually played, Peter Bosz’s team will certainly fancy their chances.
During the long darkness about to fall across the fixture calendar, the europa League is no longer a source of light relief for Gerrard and his team.
Supporters, those who had stayed until the bitter end, still stood to applaud them off at full-time.
Consider it a show of appreciation for everything they had done just to get this far. What happens next is a worry for another day. Potentially a very, very long way off.