It started like a whirlwind. And it didn’t blow itself out until Rangers had sucked the life out of Red Star Belgrade – and sent another Thursday night shiver down the spine of European football.
If they were scratching heads all across the continent when Borussia Dortmund were disposed of on Glasgow’s south side, then now they have even more reason to wonder what exactly is going on at Ibrox, where Rangers are emerging from next to nowhere as genuine contenders for this season’s Europa League title.
A three-goal first-leg lead does not get close to telling the story of what went on here last night. The truth of the matter is Scotland’s champions are unleashing some kind of mayhem on this competition and now they have planted a boot in its quarter-finals.
And it was all put together in surreal, breathless circumstances on a night which saw three Serbian goals chopped off, one penalty saved, one converted at the other end and VAR on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
It also saw heroic performances once again from specialists Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos but then this was a night when Giovanni van Bronckhorst had star turns all over the pitch.
Van Bronckhorst’s selection seemed straightforward. It was more a question of how and where his XI would be deployed.
But after only two minutes he might have been reaching for Plan B after seeing his side undone and spared only by a linesman’s flag after the dangerous Aleksandar Katai posted notice of his intentions by wrapping one into the roof of Allan McGregor’s net.
The video assistant was asked to intervene. It would be the start of a hectic night for him. And this was just the trigger for what became a firestorm of a football match.
In seven minutes Ryan Jack fired one wide from 20 yards only for another review to be carried out for a trip on Kent just inside the Red Star box.
After an eternity Dutch ref Serdar Gozubuyuk took a look for himself at the side of the pitch before pointing to the spot and sparking bedlam.
But while madness was taking hold, skipper James Tavernier kept his composure and guided a stunning, unstoppable effort into keeper Milan Borjan’s top-left corner, while sending him the wrong way just to make sure.
Katai thought he had levelled in less than two minutes after rounding McGregor and finding the back of an empty net. But the flag went up again and VAR confirmed the call was correct, albeit by the width of a fag paper.
It really was breakneck stuff. Moments later Morelos was bulldozing his way into the box and forcing the concession of a corner.
The Colombian then drifted off to linger at the back post as Rangers dug one out from the training ground, with Tavernier rasping a ball into the feet of Jack 25 yards out of a packed
penalty area.
Jack looked up before clipping it into the danger zone and although John Lundstram couldn’t connect with a header six yards out, the ball broke to Morelos who pulled back his right boot and fired the sweetest of volleys into the bottom corner of Borjan’s net.
It really was extraordinary stuff but while plots were being lost all over the place, van Bronckhorst was calm enough to conduct running repairs, switching to the five at the back formation which worked with such success against Dortmund.
And still the action raged on all around. Kent had a snap shot saved after latching onto a Tavernier pass 25 yards out and then, in a blur, it was back up the other end for another big decision and another check with the man with the remote control.
This time, Red Star got the award they were looking for when the ref pointed to the other spot after Jack had tugged on Mirko Ivanic’s shirt.
Katai stepped up thinking his moment had arrived at last. He lashed his effort towards the inside of McGregor’s right-hand post only to be dumbfounded as the 40-year-old hurled himself across goal heroically to execute a jaw-slackening one-handed save.
Rangers could have had a third when Kent and Calvin Bassey set off on a flurry of exchanges down the left and worked a chance which Glen Kamara blazed over the bar.
But McGregor was also back in action before the break, this time defying Ohi Omoijuanfo when the Norwegian striker looked a certain scorer just eight yards out from goal.
Van Bronckhorst switched back to Plan A at the break with Lundstram redeployed in midfield as everyone else inside an incredulous Ibrox was busy catching breath. But it wasn’t long before mayhem was resumed.
In fact, just five minutes after the restart Rangers ramped it up into overdrive as Leon Balogun soared above the Serbian defence to connect with a Tavernier corner and bullet a header in at the base of Borjan’s left-hand post.
Suddenly, with a three-goal lead, they were swarming forward in numbers at an increasingly rattled Red Star, looking to put this tie to bed without the need for next week’s return in Belgrade.
Van Bronckhorst switched his strategy again with yo-yo man Lundstram ordered back into defence but even though the Serbs were regrouping and trying to find a lifeline, it was Rangers who looked in control and more likely to add to their considerable tally.
A fourth almost came in 70 minutes when Connor Goldson got on the end of another Tavernier corner and powered a header towards goal but Aleksandar Dragovic popped up on the line to scramble it clear and keep the visitors alive.
Red Star responded at the other end with a piledriver from Guelor Kanga which almost smashed McGregor’s crossbar in two.
Then, five minutes from time the Serbs had the ball in the net for a third time when sub Ben Nabouhane bundled home only to be flagged offside.
Another close shave, another big break.
But, ultimately, another glory night for Rangers in their favourite tournament. It’s becoming a magnificent kind of habit.
