Giovanni van Bronkhorst’s team were second best in last week’s first game, but narrowed their deficit after just 69 seconds on Thursday when James Tavernier slipped on the back post from Joe Aribo’s wonderful move for a dream come true. start. Rouf thought he had a second in five minutes, but the VAR spotted a handball in the concentration and the striker then hit the crossbar somehow in the 32nd minute as the Rangers sought to take control. This is exactly what they did when Vitor Tormena was sent off for putting Roofe in the box just before halftime, allowing Tavernier to hit his second from the spot to give the Rangers a tie and control of the game. However, while Rouf saw another attempt to be ruled out in the second half – this time for offside – and Aaron Ramsey had the ball in Braga’s net for the fifth time when he whistled as he entered goalkeeper Mateusz, the Rangers could not find a third. . . They had to pay for this waste in the 82nd minute, when, out of nowhere, Braga repelled with a very high header by David Carmo from the first corner of the guests of the match.
The draw of the semifinals of the Europa League
RB Leipzig vs Rangers West Ham vs Eintracht Frankfurt
The tension was felt when Ibrox went into extra time, but with 101 minutes on the clock Roofe’s persistence paid off when he was in the ideal position to finish Aribo’s low cross through six meters. More fireworks ensued, with Yuri Mendeiros showing two yellow cards in a row for a late tackle and then disagreeing before Scott Arfield hit the crossbar, but the final whistle caused ecstatic cheers from the home side and fans. Rangers heading for their first European semi-final since finishing runners-up in the UEFA Cup in 2008.
Team news
John Lundstrum was ready to start after an injury against St Mirren, but with Filip Helander out for the rest of the season Calvin Bassey took his place in the center, as one of two changes. Ryan Jack is back in the midfield, with Fashion Sakala falling on the bench. Aaron Ramsey made his first European start for Rangers. Rangers – who must quickly turn their attention to a Scottish Cup semi-final with Celtic on Sunday – will face RB Leipzig in the Europa League final after the German team won 2-0 at Atalanta to secure the victory with 3-1 in total. The first game will be away on April 23, with the second at Ibrox on May 5. If they can produce a show like this, they will have hope. The Rangers were transformed by the side that failed to have a single shot on goal in the first meeting between these sides and Ibrox broke out when Tavernier took advantage of Aribo’s assist within two minutes. Image: Rangers’ James Tavernier celebrates after Braga’s goal These home fans were in the dream country when Rouf headed a few minutes later from another nice cross by Borna Barisic – but the VAR interrupted their celebrations because the ball had hit the hand of the full-back during the move. Image: Kemar Roofe had an early head blocked by the VAR More opportunities followed for Tavernier and Rouf, before Aribo’s shot was blocked and Ryan Kent shot out. Then came a shocking misfortune from Rouf, who broke the carpentry when he seemed confident of scoring. Rouf had scored a hat-trick against St Mirren at the weekend and could have had one in the first half against Braga. He will continue to see another attempt to be canceled in the second half, too, when an offside flag canceled his cute lobby from another Aribo move. However, the Rangers were in complete control at halftime, with Tornas seeing red just before halftime and Tavernier not making a mistake from the 12 yards to score the second goal of the match. Braga holds the record for progress from the European Games after winning the first game (10 times) and this never seemed possible at that point. They had only one shot in the first half with eleven players and threatened for much of the second with 10. Image: Vitor Tornena sent off for downloading Kemar Rouf – the first of two Braga red cards Aribo shot out, Rouf saw a header sent by Paulo Oliveira and Aaron Ramsey sent an effort as the Rangers kept up the pressure. The Welshman then whistled correctly for a foul when he collided with goalkeeper Matheus as he collected the ball over the line in the 79th minute. But at that point it only seemed like a matter of time for Rangers to score again. Instead, the combination of persistent defense and good luck from Braga gave them the platform to climb impressively to the level eight minutes before the moment when Carmo came in strong after a rare attack forward from the visitors. The overtime started in a disconnected way, with the hosts’ nerves clear, but it was the special Aribo who turned those fears into celebrations with a careful foot in the box, before picking up the Roofe for a simple finish. Medeiros made Rangers’ life easier with his silly dismissal shortly after, and although Arfield believes he should have hit a quarter when he hit the crossbar, Rangers looked comfortable in the final minutes as they set up a first European semi-final in the 14th. years.
Proud Van Bronkhorst: An important achievement
Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst told BT Sport: “It was a great night and a great result for us. It was a game that went up and down: 10 men, nine players, decisions, canceled goals, VAR, penalties, red cards. Or he had it all and it was quite turbulent, but in the end you get to the semifinals. “I am very proud. Reaching the last four in Europe is an important achievement for everyone. We worked hard for it in the group stage and in the games afterwards. We knew that the 1-0 defeat in Braga was not a bad result. “Against 10 men, nine men we could play a little better, but I think the players were a little tense, a little nervous because you want to pass. But I’m happy for everyone in the end because we did it. “We know we will play Leipzig in two games. It will be a tumultuous program until the end, but you do not want it any different. I am very happy that we could give the fans a draw that they can be proud of and move on in Europe. huge. “Ruff’s hat-trick last Sunday and the important goal he scored to get us through gave us a lot of confidence. I am very happy with him and his performance. As a team we did everything to get through. We needed a great performance and we had. “Dreaming is good because it gives you the desire and the impetus to keep going. We need two big appearances against Leipzig, but we will enjoy tonight.”
Opta Statistics – Rangers end Braga’s streak
Braga were eliminated from the UEFA knockout tie in both legs after winning the first leg for the first time, having advanced to each of the previous 10 cases. Vítor Tormena’s red card was Braga’s fifth in the first half of the UEFA Europa League, the biggest of all the teams. Five of their eight red cards in the tournament have come before half time. Due to the second red card in overtime, Braga became the first team to have two players sent off in a UEFA Europa League knockout match after Rangers in the “16” last season against Slavia Prague. James Tavernier has scored six goals in the UEFA Europa League this season for the Rangers, most of them as a Rangers player in a single season in major European competitions (excluding qualifiers), along with Alfredo Morelos (2019-20) and James Forrest. (1964-65). James Tavernier’s opening goal after 69 seconds was the earliest goal Rangers have ever scored in the UEFA Europa League, as well as the earliest Braga ever conceded in the tournament.
What follows for the Rangers?
Rangers return to home action on Sunday against Old Firm’s Celtic rivals in the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden Park. start at 14:00. Celtic can boast of a healthy six-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premier League standings, adding extra importance to Sunday’s meeting as the Gers want to take on one of their neighbors.
