Philippe Clement has handed his Rangers players a warning from his own past as he urged them to create more history and not live off Thursday’s European triumph.
Rangers swept into the last 16 of the Europa League with a 3-2 victory over Real Betis in Seville.
It was the first time a Rangers team had beaten Spanish opposition away from home and Kemar Roofe’s winner achieved what Real Madrid failed to do five days earlier and inflicted a first home defeat of the season on Betis.
Rangers have another huge match on Sunday against Aberdeen at Hampden as they look to take the League Cup back to Ibrox for the first time since 2011.
Clement has been trying to bring his players back down to earth following their Spanish heroics and ensure they are ready to face an Aberdeen team who were buoyed by victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Belgian, who could have Todd Cantwell and Scott Wright back in his squad, said: “There is always excitement if you can play finals and win trophies, it brings something extra. Of course we had an exciting evening on Thursday. I was very pleased about the team writing history, the first time Rangers won in Spain.
“It is an exceptional thing they did, but we need to turn our minds. In my past I have had good and bad experiences that way.
“After a historical evening, if you don’t have the right mindset you can lose it really fast and in a really stupid way. I told the players we won with Brugge in the Champions League in Milan against a really good Milan and all the famous names – Cafu, Maldini, Dida, Nesta, Pirlo, Shevchenko, Inzaghi.
“We won 1-0, it was a great party afterwards. We were like kings of the world. And three days later we lost against the smallest team in Belgium. All the fuss and positivity was gone in a few days.
“So I spoke about that with the team and I saw in their eyes they had already switched. So they are ready for Sunday.
“The past is the past and we need to write a really good future and they can write history again. It’s an amazing thing, they can write history twice in four days – they need to grab that opportunity with both hands.”
Clement will seal his first major trophy in Scotland if he makes it 14 games unbeaten since taking charge.
The former Genk, Club Brugge and Monaco head coach said: “It is not about me. That’s not so important. It is about the club and the players and they deserve to get appreciation.
“Winning trophies brings appreciations from outside and it can change perceptions. I have a read a lot of bad things about these players and this team and they can change all of that in one game.”
Cantwell missed the Europa League win over Betis for personal reasons but is involved in the Hampden preparations.
“Todd trained today so there is a big chance he will be there tomorrow,” Clement said on Saturday afternoon. “Cifu (Jose Cifuentes) will be injured – we are unsure how long for. Scott Wright will be in the selection, he is back. Leon King will be in the selection. He had a car accident last week with his mother.”
Wright is among several midfield options who have been missing in recent games along with Ryan Jack, Nico Raskin and Tom Lawrence.
Cifuentes is suspended for the game anyway. Striker Danilo is also missing with a long-term knee injury.
'I felt like Ronaldo' - Bellingham revels overhead-kick equaliser for England
Jude Bellingham says he "felt like Ronaldo" while scoring a stunning overhead kick to send England to extra-time against Slovakia in the round of 16 at Euro 2024.
The Three Lions looked to be heading out of the European Championships on Sunday until Bellingham scored a 95th-minute equaliser.
Harry Kane then scored the winner in the first minute of extra time, with the captain later describing Bellingham's strike as one of the best in England's history.
Bellingham has admitted that while he was in the air, he compared himself to former Real Madrid forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored an iconic overhead kick for Los Blancos in the 2018 Champions League final.
"It was really instinct more than anything," Bellingham said while speaking on England's 'Diary Room' show. "It kind of fell in the perfect spot, and it was a little bit behind me.
"When I was in the air, I thought, 'I'm six feet off the ground, and it's like Ronaldo!' But I've watched it back, and I still had one hand on the ground, so it wasn't the most acrobatic.
"But it was a nice contact. Definitely one of the most important and memorable moments of my career so far."
The England performance was drawing comparisons to their early exit at the hands of Iceland at Euro 2016 until Bellingham's intervention, with his strike their first on target.
The Madrid man reflected on how close England came to an exit, but praised the team's belief for getting them over the line.
"It was an emotional rollercoaster really, and probably not the most enjoyable way that you want to win a game," he added.
"You want [to] feel comfortable and in control, but you've got to find ways to win, even if it means overhead kicks in 90 plus five minutes.
"The difference in emotion is huge – it's one minute being dead and buried, as I saw the Slovakia bench all ready to run on, and you feel a bit disheartened and a bit gutted.
“It's not the way I would've wanted it to end – I'm having a good time here with all the lads and the staff and one moment later, it all changes.
"You start believing that we could create one more chance and, luckily, we got it in."
England will play Switzerland in their quarter-final on Saturday, with the Netherlands or Turkiye awaiting in the semi-finals if they make it through.
Southgate salutes England's 'togetherness and spirit' but acknowledges need for improvement
Gareth Southgate hailed the togetherness and spirit demonstrated by England, but acknowledged the need to improve ahead of their Euro 2024 quarter-final with Switzerland.
The Three Lions were considered one of the pre-tournament favourites to go all the way in Germany, but have produced generally underwhelming displays in their four matches so far.
England topped Group B despite winning just one of their three games, and were just seconds away from a humbling last-16 exit against Slovakia, until Jude Bellingham's sublime acrobatic effort spared their blushes.
Harry Kane then completed the turnaround in the early stages of extra time, as Southgate's relieved side scraped through to the last eight by the skin of their teeth.
Nevertheless, the England boss is adamant his players' last-gasp exploits against Slovakia will provide momentum ahead of facing Switzerland in Dusseldorf on Saturday.
"There's no question it will give the whole group belief," said Southgate.
“We know we should be better than we've been, but we've ended up with a lot of young players in important positions and trying to solve problems right the way through the four weeks of the camp.
"But the standout is the way the players are dealing with it. Their togetherness, their spirit."
Southgate referred to the 1990 World Cup and Euro 96 as similar instances where England were slow out of the blocks, before going on to reach the semi-finals at each tournament.
"Everybody now, 30 years on, looks back at [Euro] 96 in a different way to how it was at the time," the Three Lions boss added.
"We were bang average against Switzerland [in the opening game at Euro 96]. We were the same against Scotland; Scotland missed a penalty at 1-0 [down]. Spain should have beaten us in a 0-0 draw [in the quarter-finals].
"1990 was similar, so you do go through these moments in tournaments."
The 53-year-old will oversee his 100th England game in charge against Switzerland, becoming only the third Three Lions head coach to reach triple figures after Walter Winterbottom and Bobby Robson.
Martinez salutes Ronaldo and Diogo Costa as shootout hero revels in 'best game of my life'
Roberto Martinez paid tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo's character and Diogo Costa's penalty shootout heroics after Portugal scraped through to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.
The 2016 champions were given an almighty scare by a stubborn Slovenia, who kept them at bay for 120 minutes at Frankfurt Arena - thanks largely to Jan Oblak in goal.
The Atletico Madrid stopper reduced Ronaldo to tears when he saved his tame penalty in the first half of extra time. However, the Portugal skipper made no mistake in the shootout, where Diogo Costa took centre stage.
The Porto goalkeeper, who produced a crucial save to deny Benjamin Sesko in the second half of extra time, then kept out all three Slovenia kicks from Josip Ilicic, Jure Balkovec and Benjamin Verbic.
And Martinez was full of admiration for the efforts of both players.
"Ronaldo missed a penalty and then was decisive when he started the penalty shoot-out, he paved the way," the Portugal head coach told EURO2024.com.
"It was a victory for unity, from the dressing room and Cristiano is our captain. He showed that in life and in football, there are difficult moments and we can't give up, we have to keep going and it was a demonstration of what to do when things aren't going well."
"We worked very well, the energy, strength and passion in the dressing room to win a game like that is incredible."
On Diogo Costa, Martinez added: "The secret of Portugal is Diogo Costa, he's the most hidden secret in European football.
"Today, he appeared on a different level, he was incredible in the one-on-one situation [with Sesko], and then he had the focus and quality to make three consecutive saves in the shootout. We have to be very proud of him."
Diogo Costa became the first goalkeeper to ever save three penalties in a European Championship shootout.
"This is probably the best game of my life," he said. "I focused on doing what I had to do. I went with my gut feeling. Of course, we analysed the penalty takers, but players change, and they change how they shoot.
"I am very happy and very excited to have helped the team. These are the hardest games as I barely touched the ball, but the hard work paid off.
"We all felt we needed to keep believing [after Ronaldo's first penalty]. We believed until the very end, and we're all very happy."
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