Russell Martin made a winning start to his Rangers tenure as stunning goals from Findlay Curtis and debutant Djeidi Gassama gave the Ibrox side victory over Panathinaikos in the first leg of their Champions League second-round qualifier.
The home side rode their luck in the first half and had goalkeeper Jack Butland to thank for producing some big saves to keep the Greek side out.
Curtis’ wonderful second-half strike changed the dynamic and, after Giorgos Vagiannidis was sent off for the visitors, Gassama climbed off the bench to score a cracker of his own to double Rangers’ lead.
Roared on by a raucous Ibrox support, Rangers had started on the front foot but momentum soon shifted as Panathinaikos took control.
Butland pulled out a wonderful save to keep out a goal-bound header, with Nemanja Maksimovic fluffing the rebound against the post with the goal at his mercy.
Butland was forced into another smart save to deny Erik Palmer-Brown and Rangers were making problems for themselves, repeatedly giving up possession cheaply, with Martin pleading with his players from the touchline to calm things down.
After a lengthy spell under the cosh, Mohamed Diomande tested Bartlomiej Dragowski with a long-range strike then Danilo almost gave Rangers the lead when his superb volley was deflected inches wide.
Butland came up trumps again early in the second half with a stunning save to deny Maksimovic. Rangers were lucky to be level, and then suddenly, they were in front.
Curtis had struggled to get into the game, but when he gathered the ball wide on the left he had only one thing on his mind. The 18-year-old drove inside and let fly with a fabulous strike that, with the aid of the deflection, found the far corner of the net.
Moments later the pendulum swung firmly in Rangers’ favour. Curtis drew a foul from Giorgos Vagiannidis, who picked up a second yellow card – having been cautioned in the first half for diving – and Panathinaikos were down to 10 men.
Rangers smelled blood and Kieran Dowell headed inches over from Nicolas Raskin’s cross before the Belgium midfielder was denied a goal himself by two brilliant saves from Dragowski.
Gassama was introduced to the fray and his impact was immediate. He picked up possession 40 yards out, drove at the Panathinaikos defence and powered an unstoppable drive past Dragowski and into the net.
What was the main talking point?
With a new manager in the dugout and the club’s new American owners sitting in the directors’ box, Rangers fans arrived hoping to see a glimpse of a bright new future.
The first 50 minutes was a reminder of how big a project Martin has on his hands to elevate this team to the standard those fans demand.
The former Southampton boss is looking to implement a new style and the teething problems were evident in the first half as his side continually gave up possession cheaply and struggled when Panathinaikos broke at pace.
What Rangers did demonstrate was a desire to stay in the fight, with Butland – who found himself dropped towards the end of last season – coming up with big saves in crucial moments and John Souttar making some crucial blocks.
The rustiness is to be expected at this stage of the season, but the character his side showed will be heartening for Martin. And when they got themselves a goal and a man up, they kept their foot on the throat.
The cutting edge absent in the final third in the first half started to come in the second, and Martin will hope that attacking threat continues to sharpen in the coming weeks.
