Rangers will play at European football’s top table for the first time in more than a decade after stunning PSV Eindhoven to reach the Champions League group stage.
The decisive moment of an absorbing tie finally came on the hour, when Malik Tillman intercepted a PSV pass out from defence and squared for Antonio Colak to find an empty net from six yards.
The Philips Stadion went almost silent and the home side could find no response in the final half hour despite a flurry of chances.
Rangers can now look forward to drawing some of the continent’s biggest names in Thursday’s draw, where they join rivals Celtic in pot four as the pair play in the group stage in the same season for the first time since 2007/08.
Also vital will be the minimum £25m windfall which will now come their way as the Ibrox side complete the turnaround from playing in Scotland’s third division 10 years ago to the Champions League.
The feat was achieved with a huge amount of resilience as PSV threatened throughout, and also amid the controversy surrounding striker Alfredo Morelos, who was left at home due to concerns about his attitude and fitness.
Instead it was the man who has started in his stead all season, Colak, who was in the right place at the crucial moment to score his fifth goal in eight games after brilliant awareness from Tillman to read and shut down goalkeeper Walter Benitez’s pass.
The inevitable response from PSV came as Philip Max shot wide, and goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin denied their star man Cody Gakpo when through on goal, and those were just the opportunities which came after Rangers’ struck.
There were others, including a free header from Ibrahim Sangare and a shot from close-range from Luuk De Jong fired straight at McLaughlin, but ultimately there was no way through.
Rangers showed immense character to hang on and also had their own strong spells, with Tom Lawrence unlucky not to score with a fantastic curling effort which cannoned back off the bar.
But it was their European muscle memory which got Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team over the line, as they again proved a smart, skilful and gutsy team on the big stage, traits which characterised their run to last season’s Europa League final.
Now, the club and its fans can look forward to testing themselves on the biggest stage.
