Rangers FC has qualified for a European final for the fifth time. The team of coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst managed to brush away the 1-0 defeat from the first leg with a 3-1 victory. James Tavernier, Glen Kamara showed Rangers the right way before half-time, after which Christopher Nkunku tied the score over two games. John Lundstram, however, set the ibrox Stadium on fire in the final phase with the liberating 3-1.
Rangers knew there was work to be done after the narrow defeat a week ago during the first leg in Germany. The pace was immediately high in the opening phase of the return, although this did not immediately result in great opportunities for either team. The home team was the first to hand out a pinprick through Ryan Kent, who eventually saw his deflected shot get caught relatively easily by Péter Gulácsi. Van Bronckhorst then saw how his team slowly but surely took the initiative and managed to completely overwhelm Leipzig in the space of just under fifteen minutes.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Rangers FC on track for the Europa League final! †
† ESPN 3
† #RFCRBL #deunion pic.twitter.com/vgmiqHo6yv— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) May 5, 2022
The stadium rallied when James Tavernier managed to break the Rangers spell on a pass from Kent, who appeared to be aiming for a goal, but instead found his freed teammate at the far post: 1-0. The right-back once again proved his worth during the European campaign, having already doubled up against Sporting Braga and Borussia Dortmund. The Gers immediately pushed through halfway through the first act. After a smooth-running Scott Wright returned to the edge of the box, after which Kamara scored in the long corner: 2-0
Leipzig was clearly upset by the second blow in a short time and seemed ripe for the slaughter. Joe Aribo left only half an hour on the clock to deliver the final blow to the Germans. The striker was offered an unmissable opportunity by Tavernier, who, however, saw Aribo completely mow over the ball from about three meters. Rangers also had things in good order for a long time after the break. Still, the visitors managed to tie the score over two matches twenty minutes before the end. Konrad Laimer first missed eye to eye with Allan McGregor, but in the attack the closing post had no answer to a bet by Christopher Nkunku, who nicely shot in a cross from Angeliño: 2-1. The Frenchman’s eleventh goal in a European context turned out not to be enough, because Lundstram shot the 3-1 against the ropes ten minutes before the end, after Josko was able to get Gvardiol off the line in the first instance.