Rangers booked their place in the 2022/23 Champions League group stage with a tense 1-0 victory over PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday.
The Dutch side, led by the in-demand Cody Gakpo, had plenty of chances to find the back of the net but could not breach the Rangers defence, and Antonio Colak’s second-half strike would go on to prove the difference.
PSV came out hot and Rangers got lucky just a few minutes in when a poor offside call stopped Gakpo from racing through on goal. The hosts continued to ramp up the pressure, but Rangers held on and eventually turned the tide.
15 minutes in, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side came to life and put PSV under plenty of pressure with some dangerous crosses and corners, with Ryan Kent looking particularly lively from the wing.
That pressure continued, with Rangers really wrestling control of the game after an inauspicious start. John Lundstram came close with a nice strike from the edge of the area which whistled wide of the post.
The rollercoaster nature of the first half continued as PSV forced their way back on top before the break. Gakpo spurned a good chance to score, before Luuk de Jong and Ibrahim Sangare both had great opportunities from crosses into the box.
Gakpo got in on goal once more before the first half was up, but yet again, he lacked composure as he blasted over from just inside the penalty area and Rangers managed to hold on until the interval. Van Bronckhorst will undoubtedly have been the unhappier boss at that point.
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PSV started the second half on top as well but it was Rangers who came closest to opening the scoring as Tom Lawrence flashed some neat footwork before unleashing a strike from the edge of the box that cannoned back off the crossbar.
With their tails firmly up, Rangers took the lead on the hour mark. Just moments after having a shot blocked, Colak was on hand to finish off following some smart work from Malik Tillman, who robbed the ball from the PSV back line to hand Colak the easiest of goals.
Tillman then came close to doubling Rangers’ advantage, drawing an excellent low save from Walter Benitez, before Jon McLaughlin made a fantastic stop of his own to deny the increasingly frustrated Gakpo.
The hosts became increasingly desperate as the seconds ticked away and nearly had a late equaliser through Armando Obispo, who could only lash his shot over the bar.
Rangers held on for the victory, while questions will now be asked over the future of Gakpo, with Manchester United licking their lips as the Dutchman fails to reach the Champions League.
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