Van Bronckhorst delivers Rangers' final step on epic 10-year journey
Giovanni van Bronckhorst delivers Rangers’ final step on an epic journey from Berwick to Eindhoven… 10 years on from a draw in the old Third Division, Ibrox giants are back in the Champions League after historic night
- MATCH REPORT: Rangers produce historic night to beat PSV in Eindhoven
- It marks the final destination for The Journey, a 10-year trip back to the top
- Rangers are back in the Champions League for the first time since 2010-11
Ten years ago this week, a Rangers side containing luminaries such as Emilson Cribari and Anestis Argyriou stepped out at Shielfield Park before being held to a 1-1 draw by Berwick Rangers in the old Third Division.
The Journey, as it became known, was a protracted and occasionally painful process but any debate about its decisive end point is no longer relevant. The final step has been taken. Rangers have arrived. The restoration is complete.
A place in the Champions League proper was the one item yet to be ticked off following the cathartic Premiership title success of season 2020-21.
On a balmy night in Eindhoven, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side grabbed the pen and applied ink with a flourish. It was epic, historic stuff.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst has taken Rangers back to the big time after a win vs PSV Eindhoven
Antonio Colak (right) got the goal in Holland as Rangers reached the Champions League
This was another hugely significant European feat to add to the Dutchman’s growing CV. Nothing, he said on Tuesday, would make him prouder than bringing *that* pre-match music back to Ibrox on a regular basis by winning in his homeland. He was entitled to savour every moment of the celebrations that followed.
Of course, Rangers’ credibility on the continent had already been revived through successive Europa League campaigns – culminating in last season’s epic run to the final in Seville and its heartbreaking conclusion. Even so, the club and its supporters still hungered to back among the game’s true aristocracy.
Under Steven Gerrard, the Malmo qualifier 12 months ago was a painful debacle.
Losing the title to Celtic then cost another chance to make the Champions League. As did that penalty shoot-out defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt in Andalusia just 98 days ago.
Ten years ago Rangers were in the old Third Division and now they are back in the big time
Fourth time lucky? A little fortune is always required but Rangers showed more meaningful reserves of composure, strength and desire to achieve their goal.
They are there now. In the Champions League groups for the first time since 2010-11. Sitting beside the traditional powers of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich – and the petro-dollars of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain. It’s a long, long way from Berwick, Montrose and Annan.
Van Bronckhorst and his players will learn exactly what lies in store when the draw is made in Istanbul on Thursday evening.
Any sporting hardships they might endure over a six-match sequence will be more than compensated by the finance spilling forth from UEFA HQ. By the time gate receipts and other factors are added in, upwards of £30million will be earned.
Of course, the income is important for the remainder of the transfer window. And the balance of domestic battles, too. With Celtic already filling a seat, Scottish football will now have two diners at football’s biggest banquet for the first time since 2007-08.
Wednesday night’s victory in the Philips Stadium can stand proudly alongside those past great Rangers feats of 1978 and 1999. After Bobby Russell and Jorg Albertz came Antonio Colak as the winning goalscorer. What a night for the Croatian, who has now netted in five or his last six outings.
Van Bronckhorst and his coaching staff masterminded an historic night to reach group stages
But if this long-awaited success truly belonged to any individual, it was surely Van Bronckhorst.
Leading Rangers in Holland for the first time, he found the perfect end to a very testing couple of days. Dropping Alfredo Morelos from the squad due to concerns about his fitness and attitude was the kind of call that can make or break a manager. Van Bronckhorst took all the potential negativity and turned it into one almighty positive.
He coped even after his final preparations had to be rushed. Before the game, PSV fans surrounded the Rangers team bus and delayed its arrival at the ground by around 20 minutes.
Describing the scenes as some of the worst he’d witnessed in football, the Ibrox manager was clearly furious at their hosts not preparing secure passage in a far more efficient manner. A request to push back the kick-off was declined. So much for being welcomed home.
PSV had no concerns about timings. Granted a whole week to work on their gameplan after the postponement of their Eredivisie fixture against Volendam, Ruud van Nisterooy was aiming for a rapid start to unsettle Rangers and further inflame the home crowd.
PSV had longer to get their game-plan together but they still ran out as second best to Rangers
Van Bronckhorst’s line-up eventually extinguished that fire. PSV started and finished the first half better, creating clearer chances, but there was a pleasing structure and calmness about Rangers play for the middle chunk of the opening period. Just as in the first leg, momentum see-sawed back and forth.
Writing in his Sportsmail column on Tuesday, Brian Laudrup stressed the importance of Ryan Kent rediscovering ‘confidence and conviction’ to aid Rangers’ threat in those critical moments of transition.
There were signs of it here. Accuracy wasn’t always present but the intent from Kent seemed clear. One excellent, spearing pass cut through the home defence and found the feet of Colak. He laid off to Malik Tillman before John Lundstram fired narrowly off target.
It was slick, effective stuff. With Tom Lawrence also roaming into little pockets of space, Rangers were finding routes to play out through the home side’s press. When Colak then tracked back to nick the ball from Ibrahim Sangare a vaguely mutinous noise rose from the crowd. They were soon roaring with frustration of a different kind.
Cody Gakpo and Luuk de Jong could each have scored. At least one of them should have. For the experienced De Jong, there was no opportunity to make amends as he retired hurt at the interval to make way for young midfielder Xavi Simons.
Manchester United target Cody Gakpo took the captain’s armband but Rangers controlled it
Gakpo took the captain’s armband. But Rangers took control.
Lawrence stuck the bar early in the second half after showing brilliant, dancing feet. Then came the decisive moment as Tillman set up Colak for the most important tap-in of his career.
Nerves were stretched in moments thereafter but Rangers remained resolute right through to the end of five minutes added time. When Simons felled Kent on the break, the game was up – and Van Bronckhorst could join his players in saluting the travelling support.
Some of them, no doubt, were in Berwick a decade ago. But that’s all ancient history now.
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