Ibrox, baby!

The importance of Steven Davis’ 95th minute goal on Tuesday will possibly not be fully realised until much later in our season but at the time it felt, and indeed was, a massive goal.  Goals change games but this goal didn’t really change the game, in fact it was literally the last kick of the game, but it did have a massive impact on the tie.  Staring at a 2-0 defeat from Malmo in our Champions League 3rd Qualifying Round 1st leg, our Ulster midfield general struck a 20 yarder into the back of the net and turned a defeat into what, somehow, felt like a victory.

Once the euphoria of Davis’ goal subsided the realisation of what is required in the second leg became clear. We will need to beat the Swedish champions by at least 1 goal to force extra time and 2 to win the tie. Yet there was nothing in what we witnessed on Tuesday to suggest that kind of result is beyond this Rangers team.  There was an inexplicable five minutes at the start of the second half where we allowed the Swedes to score two goals but apart from that I felt we were comfortable in the game.  

It was clear that we lacked some match sharpness and there was no doubt that some of the starting 11 gave some questionable performances. Lundstram looked a little off the pace and Scott Arfield struggled to impose himself on the opposition.  The front three of Kent, Wright and Itten played well but were let down by poor decision making. This is to be expected in only our second competitive fixture of the season and we should remember that the Swedes are already into double figures of games played in their domestic season. 

With that last second goal in Sweden we now have the momentum in the tie, and this has only increased with the news, that finally, Ibrox will be back to full capacity on Tuesday night. There is no doubt that the atmosphere inside Ibrox on Tuesday night will be highly charged, and full of emotion. For many, myself included, it will be the first time we have been back to Ibrox since pre Co-Vid and I don’t doubt that there will be more than a few tears shed when the teams emerge into a cauldron of noise at 8:00 pm. 

Prior to Tuesday night we have our second league fixture and travel to Tannandice to play Dundee United. As reigning champions, we should not fear fixtures such as this anymore, however we should ensure we respect our opponents. If we are professional and approach the game in the right manner, particularly the tempo that we start the game with, we should win this fixture comfortably giving us time to prepare ourselves physically and mentally for Tuesday nights challenge. 

It’s shaping up to be another massive week for Rangers football club and we should relish the challenges put in front of us. This club was built to embrace challenge and I fully expect us to overcome the two we face in the coming days. 

WDTCR

💙