Rangers produce eye popping panache but leave room for a stomach churn - Keith Jackson's big match verdict

Perhaps we shouldn’t really have been surprised. It was a Thursday night under the lights after all. And this is what Rangers do.

But, even so, what went on inside a bouncing, breathless Ibrox last night almost defied belief as Giovanni van Bronckhorst ’s European specialists produced a performance of such raw power and eye popping panache that they may even have caught themselves by surprise.

And yet, despite battering the life out of Braga for 82 minutes, they sent anxiety levels soaring with the concession of a late goal which not only threatened to destroy the night of their lives but forced their own fans into the torture chamber of extra time.

It took a total of 100 minutes until Kemar Roofe provided the fairy-tale finish. The man who was brought in to fill the shooting boots of Alfredo Morelos had the ball in Braga’s net twice only to have them both chopped off by a video assistant.

But his dramatic late winner now carries an entire club into the last four of the Europa League and onto the shoulder of history. Van Bronckhorst had no shortage of options but still managed to come up with a selection which few others would have seen coming.

It was at the back where he was throwing his dice, breaking up the partnership between Connor Goldson and Leon Balogun to shoehorn both Calvin Bassey and Borna Barisic into the same defence.

Bassey took on a central role with Barisic reinstated at left-back but, with his side already one goal down from the first leg and with so much at stake, it was a ballsy gamble nonetheless.

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