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Glasgow Live
Glasgow Live
Sport
Alan Galindo

Rangers discover Champions League rivals as Liverpool head for Ibrox in Battle of Britain

Rangers have discovered their Champions League fate after returning to the big time.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst's men have had to successfully navigate two rounds of qualifying to land a spot in the lucrative tournament proper and they can now look forward to showdowns with Ajax, Liverpool and Napoli with Ibrox set to be rocking under the lights as the famous tournament anthem heads back to Govan.

The Light Blues made Europe stand up and take notice last season after a run in the Europa League that ended in heartbreaking circumstances after penalty shootout defeat to Frankfurt in Seville. Those experiences along the way have clearly paid off after another night to remember in Eindhoven last night. Antonio Colak was the hero as the Ibrox men ran out 1-0 winners and with that took the tie 3-2 on aggregate. Despite all the distractions in the build-up, it was all put to one side to secure a stunning result.

Rangers had to complete a big comeback in the third qualifying round after losing out 2-0 in Belgium against Union Saint Gilloise - but they ran riot at home to turn the tie on its head with a 3-0 triumph. PSV were next up and Van Bronckhorst and Co once again stood up to the challenge and they've now discovered the big prize for their efforts.

Speaking after the win at the Philips Stadion, the Dutchman said: "It feels great to win this game and finally hear the whistle in the end and really feel that we achieved what we wanted and that is being in the Champions League.

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READ MORE: Rangers placed among top 10 teams in world football by global ranking as Celtic beat Barcelona

"I think I was more relaxed than last week because of the way we played. Very controlled and played the way we wanted. First half we controlled the game, they couldn't press us and we found the space.

"Second half they changed the system a little bit. Luuk de Jong went out so we knew the aerial threat was less. We scored at the right moment and then became stronger and stronger during the game."

Rangers' draw in full

Pot 1 - Ajax

Pot 2 - Liverpool

Pot 3 - Napoli

Pot 4 - Rangers

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