MARK ALLEN admits Rangers’ Europa League victory over Ufa is one of the highlights of his Ibrox career and has set the tone for the first campaign under Steven Gerrard’s guidance.
The Light Blues battled their way into the group stages in August as they clinched a 1-1 draw in Russia on the back of a narrow 1-0 win at Ibrox the previous week.
Ovie Ejaria looked to have set Gerrard’s side on their way to a comfortable victory but red cards either side of the break for Alfredo Morelos and Jon Flanagan left the Gers hanging on in the Neftyanik Stadium.
It was to prove a memorable night for Gerrard and his players, though, as they followed up their wins over Shkupi, Osijek and Maribor to progress to the group stages.
And Director of Football Allen won’t forget the achievement in a hurry as the Gers now set their sights on a knockout berth when they face Villarreal and Rapid Vienna in the coming weeks.
Allen told SportTimes: “Look, the run in Europe has been fantastic for all of us and one of my highlights of being here was the final whistle in Ufa. That was a big, big moment.
“It was eight games that we have come through and I think that set the tone for the season to be honest. It was really important from a recruitment perspective when we sat down that we tried to get as many players in as soon as possible so that we could give the European campaign the best possible start.
“That was a very satisfying moment. Not just because we qualified, because that was fantastic, but because of the manner in which we qualified.
“Nine men for 35 minutes spoke volumes about the type of player we had here, the type of players we were motivating and the type of players that wanted to make sure we got over the line, as well as fantastic managerial support from the manager and his backroom staff. It was a special moment.”
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