Rangers Europa League adventure ends in Bilbao
Athletic Club 2 - 0 Rangers (Athletic Club won 2-0 on aggregate)
Nico Williams' late header ended Rangers’ Europa League hopes, as Athletic Bilbao secured a place in the semi-finals and kept alive their ambition of lifting the trophy on home soil.
Following a hard-fought goalless draw at Ibrox, where the Spanish side played much of the first leg with ten men, Rangers knew they would need something close to flawless to progress past La Liga’s fourth-placed team. For a while, they remained in contention, still level with just over ten minutes remaining.
But Williams’ decisive goal, nodding in a superb cross from Oscar De Marcos, extinguished any hope of Rangers reaching a second final in four years. The breakthrough had come earlier in first-half stoppage time, when Oihan Sancet converted a penalty to give Bilbao the lead.
The timing of the opener was a bitter blow for Barry Ferguson’s side, though in truth Athletic had been the dominant force throughout the first half and their lead felt deserved.
John Souttar was penalised for a clumsy collision with Maroan Sannadi just before the interval, giving the hosts the opportunity to strike first. Yet to their credit, Rangers responded well after the break.
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Despite injuries to Ridvan Yilmaz and Leon Balogun disrupting their backline, the visitors found more composure in possession and came agonisingly close to levelling the tie. Nicolas Raskin’s close-range effort was expertly tipped onto the post by goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala.
That moment, and another incident earlier in the match, will linger in the minds of Rangers supporters. With the game still goalless, Cyriel Dessers was hauled back in the box by Dani Vivian, the contact so clear that his shirt was visibly torn. The officials, however, ruled the foul as minimal and opted against awarding a penalty or issuing a card.
Aside from those flashes of danger, Bilbao largely managed the game well. As the final whistle blew, it was the Spanish side who looked more assured, their dream of lifting the Europa League trophy at San Mames now tantalisingly within reach.
Rangers season is over. Immediate analysis after Bilbao.
If I was the manager now, I'd be looking at the younger players in the next five games. Get them into the squad to see if they are good enough to step up. This is a horrible situation to be in because as a player you always want something to play for.
They have one more game against Celtic remaining. Should they win that, there will be some positivity from fans going into the summer. However, should they lose, Ibrox might get toxic during those remaining matches.
