Rangers In Europe

This blog is about my favourite memories of Rangers in Europe. 

I was born in 1989 and have followed Rangers since a young boy, I’ve been fortunate to have grown up in the glory days of 9 in a row and seen many great times and also seen some not so good times. 

My first sort of real memory of the club in Europe would be the Home leg against Levski Sofia which was shown on sky sports, Ex Ranger Andy Gray who was a famous commentator on the channel over the years done a special behind the scenes tour that evening before the game which showed the dressing room, the old  boot room and walking down the tunnel and to a young fan as I was then it was great watching on tv and seeing the stadium and behind the scenes. 

Rangers won 3-2 on the night but would sadly go out on away goals in Sofia in the return leg. 

One of my first favourite memories was the game in the Champions League qualifier vs Parma at Ibrox in August 1999 in a famous 2-0 win over the reigning UEFA cup holders of the competition. 

The Serie A side which included star studded names such as Buffon, Thuram Cannavaro, Ortega and Dino Baggio were on show that evening in Glasgow but it was goals from Claudio Reyna and Tony Vidmar that were the difference in front of an electric atmosphere that evening at Ibrox. Rangers would progress into the group stages. 

Rangers fans would remember the night in Paris when we progressed in the UEFA cup with a penalty shootout victory over Paris Saint-Germain after the two legs had finished 0-0  a bag full of chances and a late Ronald de boer missed penalty in extra time meant it would see the game go to penalties. 

Bert Konterman and Claudio Caniggia missed for Rangers and Jay Jay and Gabriel Heinz’s missed for PSG before the sides moved into sudden death, Barry Ferguson scored to put Rangers 4-3 ahead and Mauriccio Pochettino hit the crossbar to send The Rangers support into joyous celebrations and would mean Rangers would play knockout football in Europe for the first time in 9 years. 

There has been many great evenings for The Gers over the years since the club first played against OGC Nice in 1956 which was the clubs first game on the European stage. 

At Ibrox in a champions league group stage game in 2003 vs Vfb Stuttgart saw a 2-1 win over the Bundesliga side with goals from Peter Lovenkrands and Christian Nerlinger. 

It would be a memorable Champions league campaign for the club in the 2005/06 in the opening group game The Gers would be victorious over FC Porto in a 3-2 win with goals coming from Peter Lovenkrands, Dado Prso and Soti Kyrgiakos, Rangers went into the last group game with a chance of progression into the last 16 when they faced Italian giants Inter Milan, The game ended 1-1 with Lovenkrands providing another crucial goal and Adriano scoring for Inter, the result went Rangers way in the other game and it would mean Rangers secured a place in the last 16 for the first time in the Champions League. 

The 2007/08 season would be another memorable Europe for Rangers, The Gers qualified for the Champions League group stage and facing Stuttgart, Lyon and Barcelona, Rangers would finish 3rd in the group and fell into the UEFA cup knockout rounds which would see the club go on a run in that competition seeing off Panithinaikos, Werder Bremen and Sporting Lisbon, meaning they would face Fiorentina in the semi final which would see Rangers involved in a penalty shootout which was a nervous evening in Florence and every Rangers supporters house but Nacho Novo scored the winning penalty and would send The Gers to the final to face Zenit St Petersburg in Manchester. 

The final was a disappointment for all involved at the club falling to a 2-0 defeat to the Russian side. 

After Rangers dropping down the divisions in 2012 they wouldn’t play in Europe again until 2017 which was short lived after the nightmare exit to Progres Neiderkorn. 

In the season 2018 Rangers appointed Steven Gerrard and under the Liverpudlian the team seemed to be a different animal in Europe during his spell as Manager having victories over sides like Rapid Vienna, Feyenoord, Porto, Legia Warsaw and Braga. 

In the 2021/22 season after Steven Gerrard leaving midway through the season it saw Ex Ranger Giovanni Van Bronckhorst take the reigns and in the Europa League knockout stages he would face Borussia Dortmund in the Knockout round playoff with a famous win in Dortmund with goals from James Tavernier, Alfredo Morelos, a cracking strike from John Lundstram and own goal from Zagadou it was a famous win for the Light Blues in Germany. The Gers would draw 2-2 at Ibrox vs Dortmund. 

In the last 16 they would defeat Red Star Belgrade, Moving on to face Braga in which The Gers would win 3-1 after extra time at Ibrox after a 1–0 defeat in Portugal in the first leg. 

Rangers would face German side RB Leipzig in the Europa League semi final, the first leg seen Rangers lose 1-0 in Germany, meaning they were still very much in the tie going back to Ibrox which would prove to be a massive evening in Govan for all connected with the club, an early goal from the Captain and leading goal scorer in the competition James Tavernier would get the Ibrox atmosphere rocking, Glen Kamara would double Rangers lead in which was a sad week for the club having just lost long serving Kitman Jimmy Bell, Kamara dedicated his goal to the late Jimmy Bell. 

Leipzig grew into the game and would put themselves level in tie through a Christopher Nkunku goal, before a goal in the 80th minute which will live forever in the memories of all Rangers supporters when John Lundstram slid the ball home at the Copland Road end of Ibrox to send the crowd into delirium and clinch The Rangers place in the Europa League final. 

It would proved to be another disappointing evening in the final in Seville when Rangers faced Eintracht Frankfurt, Rangers would take the lead through a goal from Joe Aribo, before an equaliser from Frankfurt striker Rafael Borre, the game would go to extra time and penalties in which Eintracht Frankfurt would win 5-4 in the shootout. 

As I mentioned earlier Rangers entered the European stage in 1956 and have since then featured in 5 finals, having only been victorious in one of those finals it would be a famous night on the 24th May 1972 in the Camp Nou in Barcelona with a 3-2 win over Dynamo Moscow with goals from Colin Stein and 2 from Willie Johnston would see The Rangers win the European Cup winners cup. 

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog about my favourite memories of watching Rangers in Europe. 

Andy Loughran