Rangers defeated Malmo in the Europa League and created history in Sweden with an incredibly stunning performance.
This is the first time in Rangers history that the storied old Ibrox club has won a game in Sweden, thanks to their 2-0 victory over the Allsvenskan champions.
As a result, the Gers begin their difficult Europa League campaign with a victory on the first day of play, followed by two home matches against FCSB of Romania and Lyon of France.
But Rangers have more in store for them after defeating a big-mouthed Malmo in their own backyard, as they have been awarded an automatic win bonus by UEFA.
Rangers Bank Bonus for Malmo’s UEFA victory
Rangers made an impression in Sweden as they defeated Malmo 2-0 before winning 5-0 while playing in the Europa League.
On his European debut, Nedim Bajrami gave the Gers the perfect start by tapping the ball into an empty net after Cyriel Dessers had miraculously struck the post in the opening minute.
The Swedes launched an early assault in the second half, but the Gers survived after missing a plethora of first-half chances, Vaclav Cerny foremost among them.
The Gers wasted more opportunities after Ross McCausland chested a loose ball down and toe-poked it home for a well-earned second.
In addition to providing Rangers with the best possible start to their Europa League campaign this season, the outcome will earn the Bears an additional €450k (£375k) in prize money.
It’s a substantial sum that will increase the €4.31m (£3.6m) the Gers automatically earned by winning the championship this season.
Rangers start off perfectly beginning of the Europa League
Rangers’ focus will soon turn to their Scottish Premiership match against Hibs, but their victory over Malmo in the Europa League deserves celebration.
Big victories on grand stages like this one will only boost the confidence of a very young team as Philippe Clement works to get his new-look squad to click.
The Malmo curse, which dogged the team going into the match because the Gers had lost two sets of Champions League qualifying matches against the Swedes in 2011 and 2021, has also been broken by Rangers.
Rangers will now get ready to welcome Lyon to Ibrox. The club will also have the chance to gain momentum going into the last five games of the eight-game stage with a home match against FCSB.
Rangers might be in a great position before Tottenham Hotspur visits in mid-December, since they will then go to Olympiakos and Nice.
After that, the Gers will play two home games against USG, a familiar opponent from Belgium, and a trip to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United to wrap off the redesigned league round.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE
