Kent savours a ruthless rout
ON a night when it seemed judicious to batten down the hatches, Rangers threw caution to the wind. While Royal Antwerp were made of sterner stuff than most observers had anticipated, by the time this extraordinary tie had concluded, they were well beaten and dishevelled. Whatever work Steven Gerrard’s side evidently still have to do defensively to go further in this competition, they were again irresistible in the final third. They hit five and might well have had more. ‘We entered the game with a lot of energy and we knew we could catch them with counter-attacks, especially with the front three we have,’ said winger Ryan Kent. ‘We were ruthless in the final third and it was good to come away with so many goals.’ Setting out to kill the tie early, Kent’s desire and energy forced the defensive mistake which allowed him to feed Alfredo Morelos for the Colombian’s sixth goal in nine matches.
Credit to Antwerp thereafter. Needing three goals to progress, they gave it everything. Their flagging hopes were revived by Lior Refaelov’s sweet finish on 31 minutes, the supply coming from the nimble feet of Jordan Lukaku on the left. What a torrid time Lukaku gave Leon Balogun. Having corkscrewed the Nigerian into the ground and found the side netting on the stroke of half-time, Gerrard had a big call to make. Part of the quintet of players who suffered Gerrard’s wrath after breaching Covid rules in the early hours of Valentine’s Day, Nathan Patterson’s future at the club would have been in doubt were it not for his ability. What a finish he produced 16 seconds into the second half as he lashed home Morelos’ pass. The Colombian was simply outstanding all night. His selfless pass to Kent was the penultimate act in a four-man move that allowed the Englishman to claim the third goal. ‘In recent weeks, I have probably been disappointing in the final third,’ said Kent. ‘But in the last couple of games I have managed to put them away, so I am happy with that.’ Didier Lamkel Ze’s response was swift with the mix-up between Allan McGregor and Connor Goldson a reminder of the need for greater diligence at this level. It only felt over when Borna Barisic swept home his third penalty of the tie with 11 minutes remaining. Cedric Itten’s stoppage-time conversion from 12 yards completed an aggregate scoreline which belonged to a primary school playground. Gerrard’s side can be as entertaining as they are effective. They have good reason to embrace today’s draw for the last 16. ‘We will take anybody. Why not?’ said Kent. ‘We want to compete to the very end and hopefully we will learn from last season and go even further.’