5 of Rangers’ Most Memorable European Nights

After the first semi-leg of the European Cup Winners Cup in Munich ended 1-1, the second leg was still all to play for in front of 80,000 fans at Ibrox to reach their third European Cup final.

After just a minute of play, 80,000 fans were sent into pandemonium after Sandy Jardine gave the Glasgow side the lead on the night and the tie, and after just 25 minutes, their lead was doubled by Derek Parlane, whose goal sealed Rangers’ spot in the final.

This game will be more remembered by Rangers fans as it was on the path to their only European trophy to date, as they beat Dinamo Moscow at the Nou Camp just a month after this game.

Despite this game taking place just a couple of months ago, it will go down as a great European night in the history of Rangers, winning 4-2 away to one of Europe’s biggest clubs in Borussia Dortmund.

The first half was fairly even between the two sides, but two goals in three minutes from the away side gave them a shock 2-0 lead going into the break.

The start to the second half was one to be remembered, after just four minutes, John Lundstram gave Rangers a three-goal lead, but this was taken away just two minutes later by Jude Bellingham, and just as it looked like Dortmund were back in the game, Rangers made it 4-1 after an own goal from Dan-Axel Zagadou.

Dortmund got a late consolation goal in the 82nd minute, but it was the Glasgow side’s night to remember in Germany as they took home a massive win over a European giant.

Rangers were just one game away from the UEFA Cup final, as they played their second semi-final leg in Florence with it all to play for as the first leg at the Ibrox ended in a 0-0 draw.

Rangers had to defend for their lives in Florence, rarely having an opportunity to get forward, but they managed to take the game to extra-time and penalties despite having only seven shots on goal compared to Fiorentina’s twenty-nine and being a man down for the last ten minutes.

Rangers came out 4-2 victors in the penalty shoot-out, sealing them a place in the final against Zenit St.Petersburg at the Etihad Stadium, but this time they came out on the other side, losing 2-0 to come runners-up in the tournament.

Playing against the reigning English champions in the early rounds of the European Cup was always going to be a hard affair, especially with that side containing one of the world’s best players in Eric Cantona.

A game between a Scottish side and an English side will always be a fierce battle between the two sides, and the first leg at the Ibrox was definitely an example, but after just three minutes, the Rangers fans were silenced as Gary McCallister gave the Yorkshire side the lead.

With the crowd behind them, Rangers were able to turn the tie around before half time, an own-goal on the twentieth-minute mark from the Leeds keeper John Lukic levelled up the score, followed by a goal just before half-time from Ally McCoist earned them the victory in the first leg.

In August 1999, Rangers faced a tricky task against Italian giants Parma in the third qualifying round of the Champions League.

The previous season, Parma had finished fourth in Serie A and had won the Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup. Coming into this tie, the Italian side boasted talents such as Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro and Hernan Crespo, with the Argentinian forward departing the club in the summer of 2000 for a world record fee to Lazio.

Rangers managed a superb 2-0 win over Parma at Ibrox, as they took full advantage of Cannavaro’s early red card, as goals by Australian defender Tony Vidmar and Claudio Reyna sealed an impressive victory. These goals were crucial, as Gers would go on to win the tie 2-1 on aggregate to qualify for the group stages.