Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky has admitted that he’s jealous of the Rangers players after sampling the Ibrox atmosphere, as quoted by the Scottish Sun.
Hradecky, who is both Leverkusen and Finland’s no.1, was between the sticks for his club side’s victory in Govan in the first leg of their Last 16 Europa League tie against Rangers on Thursday night.
The 30-year-old didn’t manage to keep a clean sheet, standing rooted to the spot as George Edmundson’s 75th-minute header cannoned in off the left post, but he made two saves as his side ran out 3-1 winners.
While there was no shortage of effort, it wasn’t the best performance the Gers have put up in Europe this season. However, Hradecky was certainly impressed by the show put on by the home supporters.
“The atmosphere was fantastic and to be honest, I’m a bit jealous,” he said, as quoted by the Scottish Sun.
“That’s going to be our last game for quite some time in front of fans, but what a game it was.”
Verdict
It’s high praise from an experienced international and he’s not alone in lauding the Ibrox atmosphere, with his manager similarly effusive in his praise after the game [Bayer 04 Leverkusen Twitter].
Hradecky regularly played in front of 50,000 during his time at Frankfurt, but Leverkusen can’t call on as many fans.
Their average attendance is several thousand shy of the BayArena’s 30,000 capacity [Bundesliga.com].
When the stopper made these comments, he was preparing for back-to-back fixtures behind closed doors at Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga before the home leg in the Europa League against the Gers.
However, with both competitions now suspended in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus, he and his teammates face a wait to see when they will next be in action.
UEFA are reportedly set to propose format changes to their club competitions which would see the Rangers vs Leverkusen tie and the competition completed [Mirror], but even if the season is extended well into the summer, that currently looks rather far-fetched.
