Red Star Belgrade defender Aleksandar Dragovic was left rueing a ruthless Alfredo Morelos performance as Rangers beat their Serbian visitors 3-0 in the UEFA Europa League at Ibrox, speaking to Informer.
Given that Rangers have exited the tournament at the round-of-16 stage in each of the last two seasons, Thursday’s thumping of Red Star at a raucous Ibrox felt, not only like another terrific European result from a team who are making terrific European results their trademark, but also a massive hurdle cleared.
Yes, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side enjoyed their fair share of luck.
Red Star had three goals disallowed by VAR. And, if it wasn’t for the penalty-saving heroics of the evergreen Allan McGregor, the scoreline might not have been so one-sided.
But with Ryan Kent dazzling, Ryan Jack scrapping, James Tavernier delivering and Leon Balogun soaring, Rangers were more than deserving of a win which sees the Glasgow giants all-but secure their place in the quarter-finals.
Barring a collapse that may even be beyond Paris Saint-Germain’s galaxy of imploding stars, of course.
Can Rangers go all the way in the Europa League?
And it wouldn’t be a European victory without a goal from Alfredo Morelos. Rangers’ most prolific player ever in continental competition scored yet again, firing home from a corner just minutes after Tavernier’s spot-kick had given the hosts an early lead.
“We knew Morelos was great,” sighs Dragovic, formerly of Leicester City and Bayer Leverkusen.
“I was lucky that I didn’t fall (over) in the first duel with him. He threw me five metres! He had one chance and that’s it.”
One chance, though, was all Morelos needed. Only Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and a certain Henrik Larsson have now scored more goals in the competition (32) than Rangers’ firebrand Colombian.
And Dragovic, who’s side have a mountain to climb now in Serbia, was disappointed to be swatted aside so ruthlessly by a side who’s counter-attacking prowess they were very much aware of.
“Breaks are the only thing they had. That’s why we lost,” he adds. “We knew how they played. Now we will fight to turn the result around.”
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