Union Saint-Gilloise broke Rangers hearts but also Belgian TV records in midweek.
The Pro League side shocked Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men with a 2-0 Champions League third qualifying round first leg victory, leaving the Gers hopes of reaching the group stage hanging by a thread. They’ve come in for heavy criticism in the wake of the result, playing like a shadow of the side that reached last season’s Europa League final.
The winners of the tie will progress to face either Monaco or PSV in the playoff round, but the Light Blues have it all to do in order to turn things around at Ibrox next Tuesday. Teddy Teuma’s opener and a controversial penalty from Dante Vanzeir has Union in poll position to go through unless the Gers can mount a salvage operation in Glasgow. If not, they’ll drop into the group stage of the Europa League, but that would be scant consolation given the riches on offer in the Champions League.
Those in Scotland may have been watching through their fingers (or not, depending on who you support) but Belgian fans would have been lapping up the action. And there were plenty of them tuned in.
The game was broadcast live on Club RTL and viewer numbers were impressive. Stats show that one third of male viewers aged between 18-54 were watching the subscription channel to see Karel Geraerts’ team give themselves an excellent chance of winning the first European tie the club have ever played.
It’s the highest viewing figures in Belgium for a qualifying match in over a decade. Eyes will now turn to Govan for the second leg, which will be a different proposition for Union in front of a capacity Ibrox crowd who will be demanding a response to their team’s first leg flop.
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