PSV 0 Rangers 1
For the first time in 15 years, both members of the Old Firm will be in the Champions League group stage, as Rangers ended a 12-year exile via a famous win on another glorious European night.
It was Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team who held their nerve against a side coached by his close friend Ruud van Nistelrooy, and Antonio Colak’s goal came as PSV, frustrated by their dominance of shots and possession failing to result in an opener, coughed up a mistake. The outstanding Malik Tillman forced the error that led to Rangers joining Celtic in Thursday’s draw.
After last season’s run to the Europa League final, canny Rangers’ aptitude for big European nights told against inexperienced, impetuous opponents, who lost much of their threat once their leading striker, Luuk de Jong, had been forced off with injury. Rangers seized their moment, before digging in fiercely for victory.
PSV had been given the weekend off by the Dutch football association to ease their burden. Qualifying for the group stages would be good for the Dutch game as a whole, a levity not handed to Rangers by the SFA.
Instead, the weekend’s draw with Hibernian, a red card handed to Alfredo Morelos, had cast a shadow, with Van Bronckhorst ruling the striker was “not ready to play” any part. The scoring burden would fall on Colak, whose goals for Malmo knocked Rangers out of this competition last season.
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To follow last week’s high-quality draw at Ibrox, Rangers ran a gauntlet of PSV fans swarming over their team bus on the way into the Philips Stadium. A delayed start was requested after scenes Van Bronckhorst said were “the worst I’ve seen as a player or manager”. But with one change, Steven Davis dropped for the greater energy of Glen Kamara, Rangers kicked off at 9pm local time against an unchanged PSV amid temperatures of 30 degrees.
PSV began with intent and dominance of possession, reported Manchester United target Cody Gakpo cutting in for the first shot, easily saved by Jon McLaughlin. Ryan Kent in turn came off the left flank for Rangers’ first effort. This one presented no problem for Walter Benítez, the PSV keeper having dropped a clanger in the first leg.
Kent’s cross presented Colak with the striker’s first sight of goal, the ball hurriedly smothered by PSV’s defenders as Rangers found a head of steam. John Lundstram should have done far better than smashing wide when Malik Tillman’s lay off had completed a slick passing sequence but Gakpo slicing his shot when De Jong’s holdup play had made space in the opposing box was a reminder of the home team’s danger.
De Jong narrowly failed to reach a Jordan Teze cross before Ibrahim Sangaré headed over from a corner as PSV created myriad openings towards the end of the first half. Only James Sands’ heel deflected Ismael Saibari’s shot away from McLaughlin’s goal, the goalkeeper soon after saving down low from De Jong as Rangers weathered quite the storm before the break. For PSV’s final chance of the half, Gakpo belied his growing reputation by digging over the bar when he had held off Sands with McLaughlin already committed.
Half-time saw De Jong, his shin strapped in ice on the bench, removed. The captain’s physical presence would be missed as a high volume of PSV crosses rained into the Rangers box.
Still, it was Tom Lawrence who went the closest yet, rattling the angle of post and crossbar in the 57th minute as Rangers at last gained territory through pressing PSV into conceding possession. Colak got another glimpse of goal when Kent, tackling back, smuggled the ball into the Croat’s path.
And by such a route, seizing on PSV defenders’ discomfort in possession, did Rangers’ goal come. A pressurised Armando Obispo played Benítez into trouble, and the keeper’s pass sold the helpless André Ramalho short. In stole Tillman, simultaneously alert and cool in setting up Colak to pass into an empty net.
Tillman’s drive from the edge of the area almost doubled Rangers’ advantage, Benítez only claiming the ball at the second attempt as Van Bronckhorst brought on fresh legs in Scott Arfield and Scott Wright.
Philipp Max dragged a shot wide and the increasingly disappointing Gakpo lost a one-on-one with McLaughlin as PSV pushed for an equaliser but gritty Rangers showed expertise in running down the clock on such occasions. PSV meanwhile lost their cool, and composure. After so long, the club having gone through so many twists and turns, the promised land, a place among Europe’s elite, is finally Rangers’.
Meanwhile, FC Copenhagen also made into the group stage after a 0-0 draw at Turkey’s Trabzonspor secured a 2-1 aggregate win.
Dinamo Zagreb and Norway’s Bodo/Glimt went to extra-time after their second leg ended 2-1 after normal time, but the Croatian side then found two more goals to progress 4-2 on aggregate. — Guardian
