The tifo display that saw supporters form a trophy – flanked by red, white and blue – was accompanied by a banner which read ‘And I’m still dreaming’. It proved to be an apt theme on a night where Barry Ferguson and his players gave supporters reason to believe once again.
The winless run at Ibrox continued. It mattered little, though. The defeat to Fenerbahce in the last round was overlooked due to the final result that saw Rangers progress on penalties. And the stalemate with Athletic Club was accepted like a victory given the circumstances in which the performance was produced and the outcome was earned.
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This was Rangers finding a way in adversity as they responded to the dismissal of Robin Propper and heralded a new hero in Liam Kelly. The task will, of course, not get any easier and the second leg in San Mames next Thursday remains a daunting challenge for Rangers. They are still the underdogs and are still up against it.
As Nicolas Raskin acknowledged, however, Ferguson and his players have given themselves a shot at glory. They kept themselves in the tie. Now they can look to go and win the tie.
“In Europe, at this stage of the competition, there is no easy game,” Raskin said. “Even at home it is difficult games. It is going to be 11 against 11, we know we have fans over there, we know we always hear them a lot so it will be how much we want it and just go and win the battle.
“Yeah, we can [win the game]. If we put everything in it, and follow the plan and we need a bit of luck like every game but we are confident and that is the way to look forward.
Now THAT’s a TIFO! 😍 pic.twitter.com/eS781hrhzI
— The Rangers Review (@RangersReview55) April 10, 2025
“It is going to be 11 against 11. We showed on Thursday with 10 against 11 that we could compete so I hope 11 versus 11 we stick to the plan, show quality offensively. We are going to need to defend the same way, run, make the extra effort, do the dirty work and put in some quality offensively.
“We are going to get Dio back, that brings a lot of quality offensively, to hold the ball, and John Souttar is coming back also. So the team is going to be there to attack a bit more because we defended a lot on Thursday, but yeah, it will be about putting in the effort, the extra runs and being tidy on the ball and efficient.
“It is 90 minutes or 120, we will just go and be offensive, good mentality, positive and we have everything to play for so we are confident.”
This was an evening that encapsulated a campaign. Ferguson could not have been more scathing of his players on the back of the defeat to Hibernian at the weekend. Just a couple of days on, he expressed his pride at their tactical nous and mental resolve.
In the end, it was no surprise that Rangers rose to the challenge. That is, after all, what this group have done so often, no matter the domestic difficulties that they have endured.
A trip to Aberdeen on Sunday will always carry its own significance but all attentions are firmly fixed on the return leg in Bilbao. The levels will have to rise once again second time around. Athletic are there to be respected but not feared. Athletic are there to be beaten.
“I think those standards have never been down in Europe,” Raskin said. “But the important thing is the way we show up against Aberdeen, the way we go and attack the game.
“So now we plan to recover, we are not going to have a lot of days to prepare but we have been through this the whole season so it is going to be about recovery and preparation on Saturday and we go again on Sunday and try to do something good.
“We are united. Playing 10 against 11 for the whole game you can see we are a team, we help each other and we have to be more efficient in front of goal and then stay the same.
“I am proud of the team because it is always a tough game in Europe and it was 10 against 11 for the majority of the game, even nine against 11 at the end.
“So we are just proud of the performance, we know what we can do better and we are going to go there and try to stay with 11 and then go for the victory.”
Ferguson spoke of his concerns over what team he will be able to field on Sunday after taking chances with some players and asking every one of them to dig deep. It was an effort that will have taken a mental and physical toll, especially given the numerical disadvantage that Rangers were at for so long on an energy-sapping evening.
The dismissal of Propper changed the game plan and altered the expected flow of the action. Rangers defended resolutely but had few openings of their own. The penalty stop from Kelly – as he got his legs in the way of Alex Berenguer’s strike – was the moment that brought the most significant celebrations from the Ibrox crowd. It was one for the keeper to cherish after he was given the gloves ahead of Jack Butland.
Ferguson was effusive in his praise this time around. More plaudits could come next week. The last four is now in sight for Rangers.
“You could see on the pitch that nobody had the head down or complaining, we knew it would be even harder but we were there for it,” Raskin said. “It changed the game plan but sometimes you have to play that game and 0-0 is really good.
“We have everything to play for next week, thanks to Liam, he saved a great penalty. We are quite good on penalties in this competition, look at Jack, now Liam so it is great for us.
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“It is two very different competitions. If you look at this game, Bilbao had the ball and first of all it is a different game and especially when you are with 10, it is more different.
“We are trying to give our best every game. I know it has not been perfect but we have played a lot of games since the beginning of the season and we are trying to do our best every game. We know we have to do better at some points but we try to do our best.
“I think we have competed very good defensively in Europe over the competition. If you look at the end of the game Rossco was right-back, Tav centre-back, it just shows you how many hearts we have and how much we want it. So let’s just go next week and look forward to doing something amazing.
“We have fans travelling, we want to make them proud. It’s going to be a difficult game but I think we all believe it.”
