Of course, after a year in which the Rangers jumped from ridiculous to great, Gio van Bronckhorst’s side chose to put their fans in the full range of emotions.
Delirium within 70 seconds, happy at the break, anxious because opportunity after opportunity went during an increasingly nervous second half before being left puzzled as a momentary error brought in an extra 30 minutes, only Braga was happy to see.
In the end it was more of a relief than a joy as Kemar Roofe fired the valuable winner who pushed the Scottish champions to the last four of the Europa League.
But once the heartbeat subsides, Ibrox fans will be able to look back and enjoy a night that ensures that a time that threatens to unfold can have some more thrills and leaks. “Ibrox, my baby! It’s just different! ” Ianis Hagi smiled the last time Braga entered Govan’s cacophony cauldron. Read more related articles Read more related articles They did it differently, but the end result will be painfully known to Carlos Carvalhal’s team. The last time, it was the Romanian ace of Rangers who alone pulled his team back to the draw. This time it was a collective effort for the Light Blues to fight for the first European final in 14 years. James Tavernier made a valuable double to move to third place behind Alfredo Morelos and Ali McCoust in the list of scorers of the club. Rouf refused to let the repeated frustrations in front of the goal stop him as he appeared just when his team needed him to grab the winner of overtime and silence all those who said he could not fill Morelos’s shots. Joe Aribo, who has occasionally stood on his own two feet since returning from the African Cup of Nations, dug deep into his energy reserves to put up a screen that reminded you why he was nominated for Player of the Year before Christmas. It might have been a more difficult night if Carvalhal’s team had been in the starting line-up in the park, but it was no surprise to see Vítor Tormena and Iuri Medeiros lose their heads in the frenzy that only Ibrox can create in these special European nights. Rangers’ Joe Aribo in action (Image: Reuters) Ibrox fans also saw what Aaron Ramsey could do when the pressure of the Euro finally came. The loan ace of Juve signed just for such important cases, when the quality of the top level and his many years of experience on the biggest podiums could give Gers the lead. But a big set of four minutes of action in the Europa League was not the contribution that the rainy players had in mind when they reached a storm to welcome him to Glasgow in January. Fitness problems that prevented his Torino payers from making full use of these impressive .000 120,000-a-week salaries unfortunately overshadowed him on the flight from Italy. He even admitted in his pre-match interview with BT Sport that he is not yet 100% in shape. But the calm, the composure, the small touches under pressure remain as sharp as ever. It was those characteristics that ensured the Rangers kept their footing on the Braga massacre in a first half in which they barely let their Portuguese opponents take a breath. Borna Barisic also returned for his biggest start in two months. It was a complicated season for the Croatian, who suffered a fall as fast as the dramatic championship collapse that dragged his team. But accused of covering a side that was such a problem last week in Portugal, not only did Barisic stand strong, but he forced Braga to return. You could see in seconds that the balance of power on the left side of the Rangers had moved in their favor right from the start and it was Barisic’s ball that brought the first game in for just one minute. Carlos Carvalhal had a lot to say in creating this. To be fair to the former Sheffield United and Swansea manager, it was a journalist’s dream to accept any invitation to express his views. Rangers’ James Tavernier Celebrates 2-0 (Image: SNS Group) But here he was speechless in silence. The VAR – so often the Rangers’ friend this season – prevented it from being an even more disastrous start as the blow pulled Barisic to handball after giving Rouf another dream of scoring five minutes. The striker then hit the crossbar from close range, but there was no break, no interruption during a breathless opening half in which Braga was left to devour for air. But just as visitors were hoping to return to their dressing room sanctuary without further damage, Tormena’s crazy decision to pull Roofe down as the striker fell into the box saw Ibrox burst into another crazy mass of limbs and cheers. . As Tormena ran to the tunnel after being sent off, Tavernier scored the penalty that should have seen Van Bronckhorst’s men put one foot in the last four. Read more related articles Read more related articles A third would have removed the tension that kept filling the air – but it would not come. The nerves turned out well, as Carmo overtook Goldson to lead the level of 10 men in total and send the tie into overtime. But the night with the amusement park train ended high as Rouf grabbed the winner.
