Rangers were the winners of a 14-goal tie in the last 32
There could only be one winner when Rangers and Royal Antwerp met in the Europa League’s round of 32, but both sides have earned a spot in the history books after two pulsating legs.
After winning 4-3 in Belgium, Rangers sealed their passage to the last 16 with a 5-2 victory at Ibrox on Thursday night.
That meant Steven Gerrard’s men were 9-5 victors on aggregate, a scoreline that’s unprecedented in the competition’s history.
The 14-goal total is the biggest aggregate scoreline since the Europa League started in 2009 in a rebranding of the UEFA Cup.
Two ties were joint top with 13 goals prior to this week.
Porto v Spartak Moscow in the 2010/11 season saw the Portuguese side won 10-3 on aggregate.
Lyon v AZ Alkmaar, meanwhile, finished 11-2 to the Ligue 1 team in 2016/17.
While the margin of Rangers’ victory might not have been quite so emphatic, the tally of 14 goals ensures that no matter how far Gerrard’s men progress this season, their two legs against the Belgians will be in the record books.
They still have some way to go, however, if they want to topple the UEFA Cup’s highest aggregate score.
In the first round of 1972/73’s competition, Feyenoord beat Rumelange 9-0 at home and 12-0 away for a 21-0 aggregate victory.
Speaking on BT Sport after the 5-2 win, a triumphant Gerrard said: “Very satisfied and very happy.
“The performance was outstanding in a lot of areas tonight. We conceded a couple of goals which as a manager you’ve got to take on board and analyse once the game is done, but some of our play tonight was outstanding with the way we did it.”
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