Rangers produce great European performance with stunning Borussia Dortmund win

Rangers produced one of the club’s greatest European performances with a stunning 4-2 Europa League knockout round play-off first-leg win over Borussia Dortmund.

In an incredible encounter in the Westfalenstadion, Gers captain James Tavernier scored a VAR-awarded penalty for handball in the 38th minute before striker Alfredo Morelos knocked in the second three minutes later.

There were only 10,000 fans inside the ground due to local Covid-19 restrictions and the 9,500 home supporters could barely believe what they were witnessing as Light Blues midfielder John Lundstram guided in a third after 49 minutes, only for England’s teenage international Jude Bellingham to pull a goal back for the German giants a minute later.

Morelos’ drive from 12 yards was helped in by home defender Dan-Axel Zagadou – who conceded the penalty – to stretch the Scottish champions’ lead again before Raphael Guerreiro’s 82nd counter made it 4-2 which leaves Giovanni Van Bronckhorst’s men with the advantage going into the return game at Ibrox next Thursday.

After changing the whole team for the Scottish Cup win over Annan Athletic at the weekend, Van Bronckhorst brought all the big guns back with only left-back Borna Barisic keeping his place.

There was a boost for Rangers before the game with the confirmation that Dortmund’s star striker Erling Haaland remained sidelined with an adductor problem albeit there were plenty of familiar faces in the home side.

The Ibrox side started encouragingly with their high press unsettling the hosts and they should have taken the lead in the 10th minute when attacker Ryan Kent slipped in Barisic.

The full-back raced into the box but his close-range shot struck the foot of goalkeeper Gregor Kobel and spun out for