RANGERS couldn’t park the bus at the Philips Stadion. But Giovanni van Bronckhorst steered his side into the Champions League with a famous win over PSV Eindhoven.
Travel chaos and a red-hot welcome delayed the Light Blues. It wasn’t enough to derail their European campaign, though, as Antonio Colak became the hero of the hour.
It was Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side who seemed to have the upper hand in this tie after a 2-2 draw at Ibrox. The odds were against Rangers but a money-spinning spot in the group stages has now been secured after a night of high-stakes and high-tension.
Van Bronckhorst had spent most of his pre-match press conference addressing the situation with Alfredo Morelos after choosing to leave the Colombian back in Glasgow. Without his talisman, this seemed like a tough ask.
But Colak would deliver when needed, would answer the call of duty for his manager and his team-mates. A year after knocking Rangers out of this competition, he fired Van Bronckhorst’s side to a wonderful win.
Rangers will play group stage football for the first time since 2010. Just months after the heartache of Seville, this was another achievement to cherish on a famous evening in Eindhoven.
All the talk in the build-up to the first leg was about the Ibrox atmosphere and how Van Nistelrooy’s side would handle the wall of noise and colour that awaited them under the floodlights.
It had, of course, played a part on the famous nights as Borussia Dortmund, Red Star Belgrade, Braga and RB Leipzig were overcome on the road to the Europa League final. And Union Saint-Gilloise were unable to keep their heads above the blue sea of Ibrox as Rangers produced a rousing comeback and set up this meeting with PSV.
But the Dutch giants never looked like being fazed by whatever Rangers or their fans could throw at them first time around. As kick-off approached here, it was clear to see why.
Van Nistelrooy’s side made the short trip from their city centre hotel to the Philips Stadion in a matter of minutes. It took them longer than usual to travel the final few hundred yards, though, as the air was filled with smoke and permeated by flares and fireworks.
PSV slowly negotiated their way through the thousands of red and white shirts that lined the streets and filled the road. It was quite the welcome on the eve of a match that carried huge significance for Van Nistelrooy and the side he is aiming to guide to the Eredivisie title.
The impromptu pyrotechnics show wasn’t the first one of this tie. After Rangers fans attempted to disrupt PSV at their team hotel on the banks of the Clyde last Monday, the favour was returned a week on.
Two bursts of bangs and flashes lit up the Eindhoven sky during the early hours on Wednesday. Around mid-afternoon, the leftovers were put to use as the build-up started in the city.
Just minutes after PSV had arrived at their famous home, the mood flipped as the Rangers coaches emerged through the crowd. It took some time for the buses to get parked and the players to make their way into the ground as fans chanted and banged the windows.
Some never gave the throng a second glance. Others looked like they relished the reception as Van Bronckhorst’s side were given an early insight into what was waiting for them at the end of the tunnel.
Van Bronckhorst revealed before the game that UEFA had rejected a request to delay kick-off after Rangers were held up for 40 minutes on their journey to the ground. The Dutchman described the scenes as the worst he had seen but it was just another factor that Rangers had to deal with as he called for his side to show their fighting spirit.
A pre-match medley that George Bowie would have been proud of was followed by the theme tune that every player dreams of hearing. Bizarrely, the second half was preceded by a blast of The Best as the travelling support found their voices once again.
Rangers had to keep the crowd quiet and mute the PSV attack. For large spells of an encouraging opening 45 minutes, they achieved both of those objectives.
The first signs of frustration from the home support came after Colak won a corner and Rangers built some momentum. Ryan Kent had come close beforehand, while John Lundstram would have been frustrated not to hit the target from the edge of the area.
There were phases that would have delighted Van Bronckhorst and others that would have frustrated him. Overall, though, Rangers just about deserved to go in level at the break.
The first PSV corner of the night had been dealt with bravely by Jon McLaughlin as he punched clear in a sea of bodies. The second was a concern, however, as Ibrahim Sangare was left unmarked and thankfully headed over from 12 yards.
It was the hosts who finished the half in the ascendency. A Jordan Teze cross evaded everyone, but Luuk de Jong got across Connor Goldson and brought out a smart stop from McLaughlin before Cody Gakpo got the better of the Ibrox vice-captain and fired over.
Rangers were more than holding their own. Ten minutes after the restart, they were almost ahead on the night and in the tie.
The footwork from Tom Lawrence was superb. Had his curling effort found the top corner rather than clipping the bar, it would have been a sensational goal worthy of the stage.
As it turned out, the opener wasn’t spectacular. It was seismic for Rangers, however, as Colak scored for the fifth time this season.
Tillman nipped in to nick the ball from the toes from Andre Ramalho. Colak was unmarked and he will never have scored a goal so simple yet so important.
A spilled save from Benitez to deny Tillman saw tensions rise in the PSV ranks. Philipp Max should have hit the target moments later, before McLaughlin made a terrific stop from a powerful Gakpo strike.
Every glance at the clock brought hope and frustration for Rangers. The time-wasting techniques of McLaughlin were straight from the Allan McGregor playbook and Van Bronckhorst’s side needed cool, calm heads in the final quarter of an hour.
Time ticked away slowly. The four minutes added felt like a lifetime but the whistle was worth the wait.
This was a night that was right up there with anything Van Bronckhorst has achieved. Now he has the chance to hit new heights in the Champions League.
