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Throughout their long and illustrious history in Europe, the Rangers haven’t seen many games as dramatic as this one. On an astonishing night in Antwerp, Steven Gerrard’s team led 1-0 and were 3-2 down before claiming victory by one goal in seven. Certainly the now typical lament of the absence of spectators applies.
Borna Barisic’s penalty, his second of the game, means Gerrard can be completely confident of progression to the last 16. Beyond the madness and VAR controls, it should be noted that the Rangers deserved their victory; the circumstances associated with it were simply insane. A red card from Antwerp and a forced substitution of the goalkeeper served as footnotes. Also, a couple of fantastic saves by Allan McGregor that preserved the Rangers’ lead.
“I’m waiting for my heart rate to drop,” Gerrard said. “Defensively we were not at our best, but it is difficult to win away from home in Europe. The experience of Scottish teams in Europe tells me that, so I have to give the boys credit. It’s a crazy game to analyze right now, but I have to give credit to the character of the players. “
The Rangers’ preparation was interrupted by the weekend’s breaches of Covid regulations by five of their players. That none of the quintets had started in Belgium despite such misconduct is a key factor, but this was clearly a disgrace without which the club could have done without. In walking to a national title and heading up a group section of the Europa League, the Rangers have not grown used to such negativity.
There were reasons for the Rangers’ distress in 25 minutes. James Tavernier, so influential this season, had to retire after injuring his knee. A second forced substitution before the break saw Kemar Roofe sacked by the Scottish Premiership leaders due to another calf problem.
Shortly before half an hour, Alfredo Morelos should have given Rangers the upper hand. Instead, the Colombian forward fired straight at Alireza Beiranvand when he was sent clean on goal. The Antwerp defense was very unconvincing and that quickly developed as a theme.
Morelos and Beiranvand were key in the incident that gave the Rangers the upper hand. The Antwerp goalkeeper released the ball as he beat Kemar Roofe off a long pass from Connor Goldson. Morelos intelligently intervened to prevent Beiranvand from sparing his own blushes. Joe Aribo subsequently stroked the ball into an unprotected net from 20 yards.
A set piece allowed Antwerp to equalize. Barisic unnecessarily conceded a free kick, which Lior Refaelov deftly shot from the right. Felipe Avenatti’s header was even better as he passed over the defenseless McGregor.
Given their previous comfort level, the fact that the Rangers were behind at halftime was disconcerting. In the sixth minute of injury time, Steven Davis was judged harshly for fouling Refaelov inside his own penalty area. Refaelov didn’t exactly need to dust himself off before launching the kick past McGregor.
The ruling party again played an important role when the Rangers scored the second goal that their game deserved. Ritchie De Laet pulled the Morelos shirt a few meters from the Antwerp goal, with a push from the VAR that allowed Georgi Kabakov to see the foul again. With a duly awarded penalty, Barisic gave the erratic Beiranvand no chance.
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The influential Refaelov threw the ball into the infield to Martin Hongla, whose shot flew into McGregor’s net through a post. The Rangers were slow to shut down Hongla, but they still had reason to wonder how they were behind.
Ryan Kent rocked and wove before providing a fierce finish. His was the best goal of the night. Abdoulaye Seck’s hand got a second reserve and the Rangers another shot from 12 yards. Barisic did the rest as the spectators gasped. 90 more minutes? Yes please.
