Rangers 1 Osijek 1 (2-1 agg): Katic fires Gerrard's men through

Nikola Katic's goal booked Rangers' place in the next round of the Europa League qualifiers.

Published : Aug 03, 2018 08:02 IST

Rangers booked its place in the third qualifying round of the Europa League despite a 1-1 draw with Osijek on Thursday, winning 2-1 on aggregate.

Alfredo Morelos' goal in Croatia had given Steven Gerrard's men the advantage and a single Nikola Katic goal proved enough once more at Ibrox, even if a late Borna Barisic drive set up a tense finish.

Both sides struggled to truly test the goalkeepers in the first half, with most shots on target fired straight at Marko Malenica or Allan McGregor.

READ: Rookie boss Lampard targets promotion for Derby

The goal eventually arrived eight minutes into the second half. A whipped ball into the box from James Tavernier was headed back across goal by Morelos, with Katic on hand to nod home.

Barisic pulled one back for the visitor in the 89th minute, but it could not find the second away goal that would have snatched the aggregate victory.

The result means Rangers will face Maribor in the next round, following a 2-0 aggregate win for the Slovenian side against Chikhura Sachkhere.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment