Rangers dug deeper than they have all season to earn a well-deserved draw against Athletic Club to keep their hopes of going one better than 2022 still alive.
Barry Ferguson dropped Jack Butland after a string of high-profile errors in a starting XI that featured six changes from the one that lost to Hibs.
One of those, was to recall Ianis Hagi who, in the place of the suspended Mohamed Diomande, was tasked with a more central attacking midfield role.
This didn’t last long though with Robin Propper’s red card seeing the Romania international moved out to the wing.
With the Spaniards having 80% possession, it was never going to be pretty, and Hagi was in no mood to celebrate after helping to get a result that keeps Rangers in the tie.
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Ianis Hagi sets Rangers Europa League target
Hagi’s efforts were praised by Rangers fans who saw another side to the playmaker.
One of several Rangers players who are out of contract in the summer, Hagi, via The Rangers Review, is only concerning himself with matters on the pitch for now:
“The result feels good,” Hagi said when asked for his verdict post match. “I’m not sure I’d say it feels like a win, but we have set ourselves up for a good game next week. It will be tough. It’s a stadium I know from my time in Spain. Plus, they’re one of the best teams in Europe.
“It’s going to be a tough tie, for sure, but we’re up for it. We’ve shown we can dig in. Hopefully, we can have more of the ball next week and show our quality, which might be enough to get us to the semi-finals.
“The Europa League is the only competition we can win. It’s tough because, at this level, you play one of the best teams in Europe. Hopefully, we can get the win and go into the next round.”
Will Hagi be a miss if he doesn’t sign a new Rangers contract?
Hagi’s versatility makes him a useful player for the Rangers squad in that he can cover a variety of positions in the forward line and in midfield.
The 26-year old is a difference maker, but even on an off day, he still contributes, as he showed against Athletic.
He has won a league title with Rangers and has a winning head-to-head record against Celtic – not many players can say that from the last 20 years.
It takes so much more than talent to be a success at Rangers and Hagi demonstrates that on a weekly basis.
Up against it, Hagi could be seen getting the Ibrox crowd going as well as those around him, looking for the extra few percent that could make a difference.
Hopefully, Hagi does what he is best at in Spain and cause problems at the sharp end of the pitch, rather than breaking up play at the opposite end.
