Michael Beale insists Rangers’ Champions League hopes should not be written off following the 2-2 play-off draw with PSV Eindhoven at Ibrox.
Gers attacker Abdallah Sima curled in a terrific first-leg opener just before the interval but the Dutch side levelled through midfielder Ibrahim Sangare just after the hour mark.
As play raced from end to end, substitute Rabbi Matondo scored his first Light Blues goal in the 76th minute before PSV captain Luuk de Jong levelled with a header four minutes later, and the match ended in a repeat of last year’s score at the same stage of the competition.
The two sides drew 2-2 at Ibrox before Rangers scrambled a 1-0 win in Eindhoven and Beale remains confident of progress in the Netherlands next Wednesday night.
Asked if lightning can strike twice against the Dutch side, Beale said: “I think so, yes, of course. Naturally we will go across and be extremely positive.
“There were moments of tonight’s game when I thought we were very good.
“I thought we scored two good goals and all night we caused them problems defensively. There were areas of the game we’d want to improve on, for sure. But everything is to play for.
“We wanted to set up next week and we’ve done that.
“Tonight when we were struggling, we fought for each other. We ran for each other, we problem-solved on the pitch.
“This new group are learning very quickly that big nights like tonight bring us together.
“I don’t want anybody to underestimate us next week because it’s in this club to go put this performance on.
“We’ll have our thousands of fans travelling over there and as a team we’re going there to get this job done and we will give it everything we can.
“I think the tie is evenly set. I don’t think them and their coach are travelling home thinking ‘this is a job done’.
“They will know how hard physically that game was, at the end it looked like they had one or two bumps and bruises as well. It is finely poised.
“I think the two penalty boxes are going to be decisive. It’s important you play well between them but the most important thing is you take your chances when they come.”
PSV boss Peter Bosz was left with “mixed feelings” but is confident of finishing the tie next week.
He said: “I am never afraid of anything. I always think ‘go for it’.
“Even if I was there last season (when Rangers won), my mentality would be that this season we are going to make it.
“I felt we would be dominating here and they would play the counter-attack real well and really fast.
“That is how they scored their second goal. They had the energy of the crowd.
“We have to play a lot better in the return or we will not make it through. What do we need to do? Score more goals and don’t let stupid goals go in against us.”
Brentford 3-1 Southampton: Bees begin life after Toney with comfortable win
Brentford began life without Ivan Toney with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Southampton.
Bryan Mbeumo’s brace and a Yoane Wissa goal proved to be the difference between the two sides and condemned the Saints to their third straight loss since promotion back to the Premier League.
With departed striker Toney watching in the stands after his move to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, the hosts proved too strong for Russell Martin’s men. They created the superior chances and capitalised on an error-strewn performance from Southampton’s backline.
Mbeumo opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time before doubling the lead halfway through the second period and Wissa then got on the scoresheet moments later to continue Brentford’s strong start to the campaign. Yukinari Sugawara bagged a consolation in injury time for the Saints.
Brentford sit in fifth place ahead of the first international break, while Southampton are second-bottom of the league table with zero points.
Data debrief: Wissa continues to prove effective at home
Wissa now has five goals and two assists in his last seven matches at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford have recorded consecutive home league wins for the first time since last November, and the first time in their opening home games since August 2018.
Brentford 3-1 Southampton: Bees begin life without Toney with comfortable win
Brentford began life without Ivan Toney with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Southampton.
Bryan Mbeumo’s brace and a Yoane Wissa goal proved to be the difference between the two sides and condemned the Saints to their third straight loss since promotion back to the Premier League.
With departed striker Toney watching in the stands after his move to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, the hosts proved too strong for Russell Martin’s men. They created the superior chances and capitalised on an error-strewn performance from Southampton’s backline.
Mbeumo opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time before doubling the lead halfway through the second period and Wissa then got on the scoresheet moments later to continue Brentford’s strong start to the campaign. Yukinari Sugawara bagged a consolation in injury time for the Saints.
Brentford sit in fifth place ahead of the first international break, while Southampton are second-bottom of the league table with zero points.
Data debrief: Wissa continues to prove effective at home
Wissa now has five goals and two assists in his last seven matches at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford have recorded consecutive home league wins for the first time since last November, and the first time in their opening home games since August 2018.
Michel: Girona must enjoy Champions League journey
Girona coach Michel wants fans to relish their first taste of European football as he prepares his team to take on continental heavyweights in the Champions League.
Michel's side thrashed Osasuna 4-0 in LaLiga on Thursday, claiming their first win of the season in the process.
That victory came after Girona had found out who they will play in the new-look league phase of UEFA's flagship cup competition.
Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Milan PSV, Feyenoord, Slovan Bratislava and Sturm Graz are Girona's eight opponents.
"I didn't have time to think about it but we are talking about top teams so I just want our fans to be well represented in this tournament and tell them they should go with their heads held high around Europe," Michel told DAZN on Thursday.
"The players have a lot of maturity and are facing it very naturally, focused on the present, which was the game that we had to play today.
"I found out that Liverpool were one of the teams in the group during the game and I was surprised, but I didn't think much more about it due to the circumstances."
Michel also praised his players' resilience in recovering following a humbling 3-0 loss to Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
"We were very well positioned and all the players did a spectacular job, a great game in every sense of the word," Michel said.
"I'm very happy with the team's performance and because there was something strange that I didn't like at all before. Often you only see the negative side, but today the team played a perfect game from the beginning."
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