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Rangers’ resistance lasted for over two hours and then a briefer rebellion brought hope that they could do something truly extraordinary but reaching the semi-final of the Europa League was a step too far. Instead, it is Athletic Club of Bilbao, hosts of this year’s final and still searching for a first continental trophy in their 124-year history, who reach the last four. Barry Ferguson’s side were still standing at the end of a first leg that finished 0-0, despite spending most of the night a man down, and they still hadn’t conceded 48 minutes into the second, but then a penalty finally gave the Basques a breakthrough.
Liam Kelly had been the hero seven days ago, saving from the spot; here though he could not stop Oihan Sancet’s shot. Rangers still might have been revived when Nicolas Raskin hit the post, but in the end Athletic were too good, racking up 21 shots here, 40 over the two legs, until the 41st was headed in by Nico Williams, the nerves finally gone at San Mamés, the stadium they call the Cathedral, and replaced by songs of praise.
Rangers actually had the first shot here, James Tavernier’s free-kick flying high into the stands, but the second leg very soon looked a lot like the first and by half-time they had added just one more; Athletic, by contrast, had 15 of them to go with the 19 at Ibrox. This was, above all, about holding Athletic back again. On the left Nico Williams ran at them, Ridvan Yilmaz seeing Williams nutmeg him before being forced off with an early injury that reinforced the idea that what Rangers had to do was resist. On the right, Óscar de Marcos was the man most often providing the balls into the box. In the middle, Maroan Sannadi, a huge, broad centre-forward who was playing third-tier football three months ago, was becoming a key figure.
Athletic were dominating, although Rangers might have been handed an opportunity when Cyriel Dessers went tumbling in the area. He said he had been pulled by Dani Vivian and he had the proof of it too: a gaping hole in the front of his shirt. All the referee gave though was a yellow card to Dessers for returning to the field too fast after changing. When they broke up field soon after, space momentarily opening, Vaclav Cerny decided to take on the shot from 50 yards. Caught by Julen Agirrezabala, it felt not so much like an excess of confidence as a lack of it, snatching at the first sight rather than carrying the ball further. The “ooh” from the Athletic fans came from a place of fun, not fear.
That was Rangers’ second shot; at the other end they were accumulating. They were becoming clearer too. De Marcos set up Sannadi for a shot wide that was very similar to one he missed at Ibrox, low by the near post. An outrageous piece of control from Sancet made another opportunity, Álex Berenguer eventually bending wide. And then Sannadi rolled past Tavernier and Yilmaz to set up Nico Williams. Drawn to the move, Kelly was out of his goal but incredibly Williams shot wide.
And then at last it happened, three minutes into added time at the end of the half. Sannadi was clipped by John Souttar. Athletic had another penalty; this time it was Sancet who took it, not Berenguer, and this time Kelly couldn’t stop it, San Mamés erupting in relief.
It was still just one goal, and Athletic knew that. They weren’t going to sit on this, aware that for all the dominance a single moment could change everything. Rangers too knew that, and when that opportunity came they so very nearly took it too. Cerny was taken down near the edge of the area and while his free-kick hit the wall, the loose ball was lobbed back into the box where Dessers swung at an overhead kick, the ball scuffed but falling at the feet of Raskin. Six yards out, on the turn, he struck the post via the body of the onrushing Agirrezabala.
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On the touchline, Ferguson’s head was in his hands. Among the Athletic supporters in the stands, the nerves returned then and again when Cerny, Rangers’ most dangerous man, clipped up a cross that almost found Dessers at the far post. Even more so when Cerny cut inside and hit a shot at Agirrezabala that, 68 minutes into the second leg, was their first shot on target in the tie but threatened not to be the last.
For a moment, it was Rangers’ supporters who could be singing now, hope revived at the Cathedral. But Athletic responded, still coming, determined not to leave this to chance. Vivian shot over, Berenguer curled wide and with 10 minutes to go a perfect delivery found Nico Williams at the far post and he headed this place into raptures and his team into the semi-final.
