On 13th December, Rangers came agonisingly close to reaching the knockout stages of the Europa League.
They travelled to Rapid Vienna, knowing a win would see them emerge from their group.
It was some turnaround for a side who one season previously, had been dumped out in the first qualifying round to Progres Niederkorn.
On the night, small margins decided the Gers’s fate.
It was only the width of the crossbar which prevented Connor Goldson from giving his side a precious early lead.
Had his header gone in, it could have been a different story.
As it turned out, Rangers were later forced to open up in search of a goal and were hit with a sucker punch in the closing stages.
If a few more things had went their way, they could have been involved in a glorious occasion on Thursday night.
A trip to Inter
Rapid went on to draw Italian giants, Inter Milan, in the next round.
There would have been little chance of progress from such a tie. Unsurprisingly, Rapid lost the away leg 4-0. Yet, that’s not necessarily the point.
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Rangers’s European adventure had taken them and the fans across the continent to relative unknowns like Skhupi and Ufa.
A trip to the 80,000 capacity San Siro, would have been a special occasions for players and supporters alike.
Just deserts for all the effort and expenditure up until that point.
It wasn’t to be this time around. This European campaign proved what is possible, though.
If they come back with renewed vigour next season, similar glamour ties could well be on the cards.
