SO, IS THIS JOURNEY AT AN END? NOT BY A LONG SHOT

Rangers can still recover from Angelino’s late stunner

JAMES TAVERNIER had been here before. Not in a Europa League semi-final, of course. But actually here. Inside the Red Bull Arena while wearing a Rangers jersey.

His return to the stadium for last night’s narrow 1-0 loss spoke of the distance travelled by the Ibrox club to reach this point. Its measurement far exceeds the 750 miles separating Glasgow from Leipzig.

Tavernier has made every step of the journey. Once again, on the biggest night of his near sevenyear stint at Rangers, he wasn’t found wanting. The captain made vital blocks at one end of the pitch and unleashed dangerous shots at the other.

Angelino’s brilliant 85th-minute volley ultimately settled this first leg. The timing was an undeniable blow. But the tie isn’t done yet. Not by a long shot. And not if Tavernier has anything to do with it.

There are still 90 minutes on home turf to give everything in a bid to reach the final in Seville. What a night next Thursday promises to be. A repeat of the Braga second leg is now required.

More than five years had passed since the Ibrox club last visited increasingly fashionable Leipzig. Tavernier was on the plane. A friendly in January 2017. And a 4-0 defeat for a team recently restored to the Premiership under the management of Mark Warburton.

Snow fell from the skies above Saxony on a bitterly cold afternoon, yet thousands of Rangers fans made the journey. The trip was surely recalled when beers were sunk around town this week.

Chelsea’s £50million man Timo Werner was among the Leipzig scorers that day. They have moved from classy operator to classy operator during their establishment in the Bundesliga. The likes of Peter Gulacsi and Yusuf Poulsen provide continuity over the process.

For Rangers, the change has been wholesale. Matt Gilks? Jon Toral? Phillipe Senderos? None are likely to be recalled with particular affection by Ibrox season-ticket holders.

Sixteen months after the Leipzig friendly, Steven Gerrard began the process of building a more effective squad. And one capable of renewing the club’s reputation in Europe.

Tavernier now stands as the sole survivor from the previous trip to the Red Bull Arena. His arrival in a joint deal with Martyn Waghorn, for around £400,000 all in, surely stands as the greatest legacy of Warburton’s time in charge.

Fourteen of his 80 Rangers goals have come in continental competition. Six had been netted in this season’s previous six Europa League knock-out matches, making him joint-top scorer in the tournament.

It’s a remarkable feat, but this latest assignment was never going to be solely about rampant advancement down the right flank in pursuit of growing his tally. The Ibrox side were under sustained pressure from their opponents’ swift pressing.

Tavernier also had to keep a close eye on wing-back Angelino during open play. Once of Manchester City and now linked with Barcelona, the Spaniard is one of Leipzig’s primary creative threats.

Angelino almost made the breakthrough after Calvin Bassey was caught out of position on a German break after half an hour. The ball broke his way for an angled strike, but Tavernier was in the right place to repel a goalbound effort.

Leipzig’s squad cost around £200m to assemble, Rangers’ under £20m. In fiscal terms, it should have been no contest. But character doesn’t cost money. Recently, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side have shown that trait in abundance.

Here, it was primarily about a containment strategy. The opening period was one more familiar from times past in European football. In their run to the 2008 UEFA Cup final, Rangers only scored in three of nine games in the tournament.

Walter Smith’s side produced successive masterclasses in modern-day Catenaccio on their march to Manchester before eventually succumbing to Zenit St Petersburg.

This season had been different. Six goals against Borussia Dortmund. Four against Red Star Belgrade. Three against Braga. But how could that continue with their two best strikers both stuck on the injury list?

Van Bronckhorst’s answer was to set up in a 5-3-2, with Joe Aribo breaking from midfield to try and join Ryan Kent and surprise pick Scott Wright in the attacking area.

Finding a way out was difficult. Rangers looked nervy early on. Wright, in particular, had to do more to try and offer an effective escape upfield. Nothing much stuck with him in the first half. He was given 68 minutes before being replaced by Fashion Sakala.

Home coach Domenico Tedesco had produced a little curveball of his own, declining to start Andre Silva beside Christopher Nkunku up front.

With the French international roaming, Rangers’ three centrebacks had to be highly attuned to the runs from midfield.

It was a game of cat-and-mouse. Tense. Tight. And short on

penalty-box drama. Reaching the interval with the scoreline blank felt like part one achieved for the Ibrox men. In truth, Allan McGregor hadn’t made a significant save.

While the personnel stayed the same, Van Bronckhorst made one tactical tweak for the restart. Wright and Kent dropped deeper and wider, with Aribo now asked to operate as the main forward.

What a difference it made. The Nigerian’s presence helped a create a break that saw Kent fire across goal, with Tavernier painfully close to getting a touch at the far post. If anything, the winger’s strike was too clean.

Another little burst of pressure led to Tavernier’s drive being thwarted by Tyler Adams. There was huge improvement in terms of Rangers being an attacking threat and enjoying little stretches of possession. Still, though, Tavernier and co had to stay defensively alert.

Everyone in blue collectively held their breath when Nkunku got into the area, working his way around McGregor before smashing high over the bar. After 30 goals this season, it was a minor miracle Nkunku didn’t hit the target.

Angelino did, though. A corner cleared outside the area and Kent couldn’t quite get there to block. McGregor was beaten. But Rangers and Tavernier aren’t. Not yet.