Gerrard pleased by patient approach as Jack kickstarts Rangers win
● Smart Jack strike opens the floodgates after first-half stalemate
Steven Gerrard feels Rangers’ patience in Gibraltar bodes well for the coming season after four second-half goals saw off Europa League opponents St Joseph’s.
Rangers fans endured a goalless opening period of the first qualifying round but Ryan Jack settled their nerves four minutes after the interval.
Debutant Sheyi Ojo, left-back Borna Barisic and substitute Alfredo Morelos rounded off a 4-0 first-leg win and Gerrard, pictured, was more than satisfied with his team’s first competitive outing.
“We are going to face this a lot this season where teams are going to sit in and make it difficult for us,” he told Rangers TV. “It is important we show patience.
“If we took a chance in the first half then it would have been a little bit more enjoyable, but you have got to stay at it, keep pushing, keep grinding, keep probing, and you hope that one of your big players steps up and makes the difference. And, again, Ryan Jack has done that for us.”
The Rangers manager added: “I thought we showed a fantastic attitude and mentality. These places are tough because the conditions are tough, the pitch is tough, they put a lot of men behind the ball and they try and break up play, make fouls and slow the game down. So a lot of things were against the team. But we showed fantastic patience and eventually took one of our chances. The game then changes in our favour, and we go on from there to build and keep showing really good quality.”
Sheyi Ojo hit a debut goal as Rangers beat St Joseph’s 4-0 in their Europa League opener following a goalless first half in Gibraltar.
Clear chances were at a premium in the opening period but Ryan Jack opened the scoring four minutes after the interval with a smart finish.
The second soon came via a curling effort from on-loan Liverpool midfielder Ojo – one of two debutants in the starting line-up alongside Jordan Jones.
Rangers went three ahead from a Borna Barisic free-kick with Connor Goldson making sure from the followup, although the original effort was well over before being clawed out by the goalkeeper.
A header from substitute Alfredo Morelos, pictured, finished the rout .
Steven Gerrard’s half-time team talk did the trick after the hosts had frustrated Rangers during the opening 45 minutes of the first qualifying round.
Celtic suffered a shock defeat against Lincoln Red Imps at the same Victoria Stadium in the shadow of the Rock of Gibraltar three years ago, although a new artificial pitch installed with the help of a FIFA grant in January offered a better surface.
There was an early warning for the visitors when Federico Villar was left unmarked from a deep free-kick but could not get his head on the ball.
Jack and Ojo saw long-range shots comfortably saved before Jermain Defoe stabbed wide from a tight angle, and it took half an hour for Rangers to force a clear chance. Goalkeeper Francisco Mateo Vera blocked well from Ojo after a Steven Davis shot deflected into the midfielder’s path.
Glen Kamara came close from 25 yards but the hosts were afforded two shooting chances from outside the box – neither of which they could keep down. Davis then sliced wide from a decent opening with the last kick of the half.
A better chance came two minutes into the second half when Ojo got on the end of James Tavernier’s inviting free-kick but the midfielder volleyed over from six yards.
The breakthrough soon came when Jack cushioned a volley into the corner of the net from ten yards following Barisic’s cross.
Ojo seized on a loose ball on theedgeoftheboxandcurleda left-footed effort inside the far post six minutes later. It was 3-0 midway through the half, and, although Goldson celebrated after tapping home the rebound, footage showed that Barisic was the goalscorer with his 25-yard free-kick.
The goalkeeper again clawed out an effort from behind his line in the 76th minute as Morelos headed home from Tavernier’s cross after replacing Defoe.
Greg Stewart and Joe Aribo were handed debuts off the bench with Rangers well in control.
The only downside of the second half for the visitors was a needless late yellow card for Ojo after he had put in a rash tackle.