Domenico Tedesco paid tribute to a ‘relentless’ Rangers and a ‘sensational’ Ibrox atmosphere after Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side stunned RB Leipzig in the UEFA Europa League semi-finals, speaking via Sky Germany.
On paper, how many of the Rangers team that took to the field on Thursday night would get into Leipzig’s expensively-assembled starting XI? James Tavernier maybe. Connor Goldson perhaps. Ryan Kent? And that’s about it.
But Rangers, with the power of Ibrox behind them, are a different beast. A snarling, blood-thirsty one at that.
Throughout the last three years, the Steven Gerrard era and the first few months of the Van Bronckhorst regime, Rangers have made a habit of confounding expectations on the continent, adding Leipzig to an enviable array of scalps including Borussia Dortmund, Porto, Braga and Sparta Prague.
You’ve probably heard the parable. The one where an elderly grandmother finds the inner strength to lift a car and rescue her trapped grandson.
And with one of Europe’s most vociferous fanbases behind them, Rangers tore open their shirts and entered superhero mode when Leipzig came to town, turning a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead inside 24 first-half minutes before riding a storm, hanging on amidst the hurricane as John Lundstram fired the Glasgow giants to within 90 minutes of European glory on the 50th anniversary of that final in 1972.
Rangers beat RB Leipzig to reach Europa League final
“We are very disappointed,” sighs Tedesco, rueing the early strikes from James Tavernier and Glen Kamara that put Rangers in control of their own destiny.
“We conceded three goals too easily.
“Rangers pressed relentlessly from the first minute. And we struggled to contain them. But also from a physical point of view we encountered some difficulties.
“The climate of the Ibrox? The atmosphere was sensational. It was all so electrifying.”
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It was one of those rare nights where everyone in royal blue stepped up to the plate. Calvin Bassey produced the finest performance of his career, Kamara scored a goal any midfielder in Europe would have been proud of, while two players frozen out under Van Bronckhorst not so long ago – Scott Wright and match-winner Lundstram – scribed their names into Ibrox folklore.
The Glasgow giants will go head-to-head with Eintracht Frankfurt on the citrus-soaked streets of Seville on May 18th. Win and this Rangers side will be immortals in the annals of Ibrox history.
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