Steven Gerrard has aimed a subtle dig at a minority of Rangers fans who left Ibrox early and missed a dramatic 3-2 comeback win over Braga, as captured by RangersTV.
Impressive strikes from Fransergio and Abel Ruiz put the visitors into a commanding position, but an Ianis Hagi brace and a brilliant solo goal from substitute, Joe Aribo, saw Rangers turn the tie on its head in the space of 15 dramatic minutes.
The Gers’ resurgence transformed the atmosphere inside the stadium.
With Braga in the lead and strutting their stuff, there was palpable frustration, with every loose pass or poor decision from the home side greeted with groans.
However, once Hagi and co. took the game by the scruff of the neck, the Bears upped the ante and Hagi’s eventual deflected winner sparked wild scenes of celebration.
After the game, the manager hinted that some fans were wrong to head for an early exit.
“This is what Ibrox deserves,” said Gerrard of the comeback, as captured by RangersTV. “This is what this club deserves, with the amount of history and big night that have been here before, it’s our responsibility to try and get as many as we can back.”
“At 2-0 there’s a few people leaving, I don’t know whether that was the weather or the scoreline. There was a bit of negativity behind the bench.
“But, in European football, magical nights happen.”
Verdict
Gerrard clearly wanted to make a point of the importance of staying right to the end to support the team and we’ve spoken in the past about the concerning mass exoduses in the closing stages of games at Ibrox.
Leaving a knockout European tie with half an hour to go is an extreme example, but it’s clear that those fans the manager has mentioned were very much in the minority.
The overwhelming majority of those who packed in for kick-off, saw this nailbiting fixture through to its conclusion, on what proved to be an incredible night.
It was a huge result for the club, particularly within the context of recent poor domestic form, and the Gers now have a genuine chance of progressing to the last 16.
