Rangers defeated Red Star Belgrade 3-0 in the Europa League on Thursday evening in a match that had everything minus a sending-off. The tie was utterly breathless and the Ibrox side continue their fine European form.
James Tavernier, Alfredo Morelos, and Leon Balogun all scored for the Gers to give us a resounding first-leg advantage as three talking points emerged from a famous night under the lights.
The Europa League has become a welcome distraction from domestic duty
The contrast between Rangers in Europe and domestically is like night and day. We scored six goals over two legs against Borussia Dortmund and have now eased into a 3-0 aggregate lead over Red Star.
Our last two Scottish Premiership matches have seen very tight 1-0 victories, in which the performances were poor.
The Europa League is a fun distraction, but after the latest win, many fans will be dreaming of going all the way to Sevilla.
Leon Balogun deserves a new contract
There are a host of players whose current contracts expire at the end of the season, with Scott Arfield, Connor Goldson, and Allan McGregor amongst them.
Renewing Balogun’s deal, even just for a further season would be excellent business as he has always shown the right attitude whilst featuring for the club and scored some crucial goals, last night being a great example.
With Filip Helander approaching full fitness and John Souttar joining the side in the summer, there will be a fight for the centre back spots. Even having him as a solid backup would more than likely suit both parties as he was excellent against Red Star.
James Tavernier continues to excel
With his goal and assist last night, Tavernier took his tally to 11 goals and 15 assists for the season, a truly remarkable stat for a right-back, especially when there is still a quarter of the season left.
The captain has had his critics in the previous few years, but his form and leadership ability now will allow him to go down as a club legend.
The Englishman seems to thrive on these famous European nights under the Ibrox lights and if we keep performing as we did against Red Star, he could be a big factor in our continental ambitions.
Meanwhile, read our match report following the famous Europa League victory against Red Star Belgrade.
