Rangers’ resistance lasted for over two hours and then a briefer rebellion brought hope that they could do something extraordinary, but reaching the semi-final of the Europa League was a step too far. Instead, it is Athletic Club of Bilbao who face Manchester United, a unique club still hoping that a first continental trophy in their 124-year history will be won when they host the final.
Barry Ferguson’s side were still standing at the end of a first leg that finished 0-0, despite spending most of the night a man down, and they still hadn’t conceded 48 minutes into the second, but a penalty gave the Basques a breakthrough. “This hurts, and I want it to,” Ferguson said.
Liam Kelly had been the hero seven days ago, saving Álex Berenguer’s penalty; here though he could not stop Oihan Sancet’s spot-kick. Rangers still might have been revived when Nicolas Raskin hit the post and Ferguson complained that his side should have had two penalties – a shirt pull in the first half and a handball in the second – but ultimately Athletic were too good. They racked up 21 shots here, 40 over the two legs, until the 41st was headed in by Nico Williams to make it 2-0, the stadium they call the Cathedral erupting into songs of praise.
Rangers, by contrast, weren’t good enough: “The work rate was there but the quality wasn’t at times,” Ferguson admitted. “I just want my club to be back where it should be.” Over 180 minutes they only had two shots on target, although they actually had the first here, James Tavernier’s free-kick flying into the stands. Their task, or perhaps their limitations, were much the same as the first leg. This was, above all, about holding Athletic back again, or trying to.
On the left Nico Williams ran at them, Ridvan Yilmaz being nutmegged and then having to depart with an early injury that reinforced the idea that what Rangers had to do was resist. On the right, Óscar de Marcos provided a steady stream of balls into the box. In the middle, Maroan Sannadi, a huge, broad-shouldered centre-forward with his socks half way down his shins, was becoming a key figure. He was playing third tier football three months ago; now he stood above on the European stage.
Athletic were dominating, although Rangers might have been handed an opportunity when Cyriel Dessers fell in the area. He said he had been pulled by Dani Vivian and had the proof of it too: a gaping hole in the front of his shirt. “That should be a penalty and a red card; it’s baffling,” Ferguson said. When Rangers broke soon after, Vaclav Cerny decided to take on the shot from 50 yards, snatching at a rare sight. The “ooh” from the Athletic fans was came from a place of fun, not fear, but the Czech would end up worrying them.
Athletic’s attempts were accumulating and becoming clearer too. De Marcos set up Sannadi for a miss very similar to one at Ibrox. An outrageous piece of control from Sancet made another opportunity, Berenguer bending past the post. And then Sannadi rolled Tavernier and Yilmaz to set up Nico Williams. Kelly was out of his goal but, incredibly, Williams shot wide. And then it happened, three minutes into added time at the end of the first half. Sannadi was clipped by John Souttar and Athletic had another penalty; this time it was Sancet who took it, not Berenguer, and this time Kelly couldn’t stop it.
It was still just one goal, Athletic knew. They were reluctant to sit on this, aware that a single moment could change everything. Rangers too knew that, and when that opportunity came they so very nearly took it. Cerny’s free-kick hit the wall but the loose ball was lobbed back into the box where Dessers swung at an overhead kick, the scuffed ball falling at the feet of Raskin. Six yards out, on the turn, he struck the post. On the touchline, Ferguson put his head in his hands and then found the fourth official unwilling to hear his appeals for a handball by Yeray Álvarez.
