Whether Rangers will make a long-awaited return to the Champions League, or drop into the familiar surroundings of the Europa League still hangs in the balance.
Against PSV Eindhoven, they rode their luck, a goalkeeping disaster from Walter Benítez granting them their second goal, though they also showed plenty of the spirit that took them to last season’s Europa League final.
PSV displayed plenty of the same qualities in an even contest throughout which momentum ebbed and flowed. As well as the defensive mistakes, both teams showed off attacking quality, and like this game, next week in Eindhoven is likely to be a severe test of nerve.
Rangers’ absence from the Champions League group stage stretches 12 years, when the club were managed by the late Walter Smith, and Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United were among their opponents.