Rangers secure Champions League spot with win at PSV | OneFootball

Rangers booked their place in the group stage of the Champions League thanks to a tense victory in Eindhoven against PSV on Wednesday night.

Scorers: Čolak 60′

Despite a fiery welcome which delayed the visitors entrance and reportedly had Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s appeal for a delay to kick-off rejected, it was the visitors who settled quicker, forcing PSV back and going closest to the opener when John Lundstram flashed a strike inches past the post.

The closest the hosts came to breaking the first half deadlock came with three minutes remaining when Luuk de Jong poked straight at John McLaughlin after getting across Connor Goldson, while Cody Gakpo blazed over moments later after making himself a yard on the edge of the area.

Six minutes after the break, Rangers came within a whisker of the lead when Tom Lawrence showed good feet outside the penalty box to free up space and unleashed a ferocious strike which came back off the crossbar.

PSV failed to heed that warning and on the hour mark were architects of their own downfall as André Ramalho gifted Malik Tillman the ball on the edge of his own area, allowing the summer signing to tee up Antonio Čolak for a tap-in, with Ruud van Nistelrooy ruthlessly substituting the man who made the error instantly.

That goal proved to be enough to fire last season’s Europa League finalists into the group stage of the top competition along with Glasgow rivals and Scottish champions Celtic, while PSV have to be content with a place in the second tier tournament.

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