RANGERS ARE ONE step away from the Europa League group stage after a 0-0 second-leg draw sealed a 3-1 aggregate victory over Maribor in the third qualifying round.
Buoyed by last week’s vital home win, the Scottish side only needed a stalemate to advance and achieved that feat with only the minor scare of a late penalty Maribor penalty to sew up a play-off round date with Russian side Ufa.
An impressive performance from veteran goalkeeper Allan McGregor ensured even the late concern did not develop into any threat of a shock as he kept out Marcos Tavares’ stoppage time spot-kick.
The visitors had been pinned back on the edge of their own area for much of the first 25 minutes, albeit without major incident.
An offside flag spared Alfredo Morelos from embarrassment when he spooned James Tavernier’s cross over the bar with what was to be one of few Rangers chances in a tight contest.
That came prior to a smart pair of McGregor saves late in the first half, the 36-year-old first denying Amir Dervisevic and then holding a meek Blaz Vrhovec attempt.
The former Hull City man was called into action again with 20 minutes remaining as he brilliantly blocked Tavares’ close-range effort.
And the Maribor forward was to be frustrated once more in the first minute of added time as he failed to claw back a goal from the spot.
In the end a clean sheet was all Gerrard’s men needed to advance through to the final qualifying hurdle and move within touching distance of a first group stage appearance in European competition since the 2010-11 Champions League campaign.
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Stevie G or not, it would be great if we could have no more Rangers posts on an Irish site. Is it possible to start a petition?
@Seriously: Hail Hail
@Buff Egan: and they can’t even do a match tracker for Celtics cl games.an absolute disgrace.and if you know your history ……
@Buff Egan: that’s not a statement that’s a fact of life
@Seriously: A completely bigoted remark if I ever saw one…always believe that through education, schooling and tolerance that we will all become a better society..it takes longer but ultimately worth it…it seems it is YOU that could do with some education….
@Desmond Cassidy: Comical comment. Go take in a game at Ibrox and report back will you?
@Seriously: I’m well aware of the long standing bigotry that goes on but why stoop…ok..I’ll take the original comment as tongue in cheek.. ;-)
Please stop posting articles about them bigoted animals and the egotistical scouser.
I highly doubt bbc Scotland would be reporting on the LOI if a high profile player was in charge of a club…
@Benny Millar: Don’t kid yourself Benny. The bigotry goes both ways as we all know.
@Daniel Donovan: no it doesn’t
@Daniel Donovan: ah, the old “two cheeks of the same arse” bullshit. The biggest myth going.
@Benny Millar: The paragraph starting with “I highly doubt….” is the most important. The reason BBC Scotland wouldn’t be reporting is because Scottish people turn up to watch Scottish teams. They don’t care about LofI. Excluding Celtic and Rangers, 3 other teams average ober 15,000 per game. The best supported Irish team would be in the bottom 3 of the SPL. But cos Irish people are absolutely obsessed with British football, the Irish media will report on all aspects of it.
Fair play to Gerrard and Rangers, a proper British club unlike their neighbors who claim to be Irish but are yet another excuse of an underachieving club british club who are Scotland’s shame
@Eamonn Sheehy: here, you should go to Glasgow’s east end and tell all those Celtic fans with surnames such as Sheehy, Donnelly, O’Hanlon, Doherty etc that they aren’t Irish. Be sure to report back to us all now.
@Ciaran Rice: Worst thing is Ciaran this clown is a primary school teacher.. The lad clearly doesn’t know or even bother to research before is posts a comment. Celtic fans living in Glasgow don’t have to “Claim to be Irish” because 90% of them are already. Born into families who are decended from Irish people who fled the famine.. Also there’s only one side who can be classed as “Scotland’s Shame” Rangers have played six games in Europe so far this year and there has been trouble at every one of them.. I pity his pupils if that’s his level of intellect on Scots/Irish history
@David Garland: easy lad I was on the beer and thought it would be funny to wind up a few fellas!!looks like I did that anyway!!
@Eamonn Sheehy: bad dose when you comment while on the beer ,, wouldn’t try to wind up lads with that comment though ,, u must have been polluted or stupid no offence
@Eamonn Sheehy: bad dose when you comment while on the beer ,, wouldn’t try to wind up lads with that comment though ,, u must have been polluted or stupid sorryno offence
@Eamonn Sheehy: bad dose when you comment while on the beer ,, wouldn’t try to wind up lads with that comment though ,, u must have been polluted or just idiotic
@Eamonn Sheehy: bad dose when you comment while on the beer ,, wouldn’t try to wind up lads with that comment though ,, u must have been polluted or off ur head
@Eamonn Sheehy: sorry kept saying problem posting comment
Muppets
I hope Rangers do make it through. It would be a massive cash injection that they require to try and challenge Celtic on a financial level before challenging them in the league. And yes I am a Liverpool supporter.
@stephen darling: but nobody ask you
@stephen darling: Why would you honestly care if ranjurs qualified or not? Why does the SPL interest you?
Also nobody asked you who you supported, typical cringey “Liverpool fan”(bandwagoner)
@Benny Millar: I’ve been a Liverpool fan all my life and a Rangers fan since about 1990 so yes it does interest me.
@stephen darling: of course you have darling