James Tavernier’s double for Rangers dumps Dortmund out of Europa League

Borussia Dortmund were the favourites to win the Europa League before this tie with Rangers. By the time it concluded – sadly though that was for neutrals – the Germans found themselves eliminated from the competition.

For Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who has watched Rangers stutter on the domestic front, this felt a hugely significant success.

Rangers had a the aim of not wasting the lead earned by an outstanding display at Signal Iduna Park and duly delivered. Dortmund’s showing amid a raucous atmosphere on Glasgow’s south side was markedly better than in front of their own support but they proved unable to turn the tide. Over 180 minutes, Rangers played the more effective football. Van Bronckhorst and his team will bounce into the last 16, with Marco Rose left to field questions regarding what will be an embarrassing outcome for Dortmund.

High praise of Rangers’ first leg performance, while valid, required context. Unfortunately for Van Bronckhorst and his players, 90 minutes of the tie remained against a free-scoring side. Indeed, Dortmund recovered from their home loss to Rangers by trouncing Borussia Mönchengladbach 6-0 at the weekend. Prior to this game, Dortmund had played seven in 2022 that had featured more than 40 goals. They were highly unlikely to fire blanks in Glasgow.

Unsurprisingly, the German side opened positively. Jude Bellingham bundled the ball against Allan McGregor’s left-hand post from a Julian Brandt corner inside four minutes. Donyell Malen’s snapshot from just outside the area bounced narrowly wide. Rangers had been forced into their defensive third for the majority of the first quarter, adding to the craziness of Brandt’s next key involvement.

Ryan Kent, who starred in Germany, was facing away