Red Star Belgrade 2-1 Rangers (2-4 agg): 'Our belief is only getting stronger,' says Van Bronckhorst

Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst says his side's «belief is only getting stronger» after dispatching Red Star Belgrade in the Europa League last 16.

The Scottish champions showed resilience to prevent a second-leg comeback from the Serbian side, who were eliminated 4-2 on aggregate.

It is the first time since 2008 that the Ibrox side have made the quarter-finals of a European competition, but Rangers fans will be daring to dream going into Friday's draw...

«I'm very proud — it's a great achievement,» Van Bronckhorst told BT Sport afterwards. «I'm more than happy for everyone involved with this club.»

Since the Dutchman's Rangers appointment in November, concerns have been raised about the reigning champions' domestic form.

The Ibrox side have gone from having a four-point cushion over rivals Celtic to attempting to chase down a three-point deficit. What cannot be discredited, however, is their European exploits under Steven Gerrard's successor.

Van Bronckhorst's first game in charge came in the penultimate group game against Sparta Prague. A two-goal victory was required to book a knockout place, and a 2-0 win was secured.

A credible 1-1 draw at classy Ligue 1 side Lyon followed in the final group game, with Rangers' runners-up place already confirmed.

When Borussia Dortmund were pulled out the hat in their first knockout encounter, the general consensus was that Rangers' European adventure would inevitably come to an end against the German giants.

But a famous 6-4 aggregate victory was achieved, a result that will go down in Ibrox folklore, before the Govan side were paired with Serbian champions Red Star in the last 16.

A clinical 3-0 first-leg win put Rangers' firmly in the driving seat, and despite a 2-1 defeat in