Joe Aribo’s Rangers led by Steven Gerrard knew they had a herculean task of a comeback at hand against star-studded Bayern Leverkusen after the first leg slump at home in Scotland, they needed 3 goals to advance to the next stage all hinged on a miracle, the Gers were far from impressive as they succumbed to another 1-0 defeat although his Nigerian teammate, Leon Balogun was ineligible to play after making his recent switch from Wigan.
The Bundesliga side ultimately built upon a 3-1 first-leg lead assembled in Glasgow five months ago, thanks to a second-half goal from Moussa Diaby. Their reward is a quarter-final against Inter Milan in nearby Düsseldorf on Monday night.
For Steven Gerrard’s men, the belated end of the 2019/20 campaign means a six-week absence from European action before they start all over again in the Europa League second qualifying round. Another group stage place will be the primary target.
Reflections on this journey should be done with pride. Victories over Feyenoord, Porto, and Braga built plentiful and took the Ibrox club as far as they had been in continental competition for nine years. With the damage already done at home, Leverkusen proved a step too far as Steven Gerrard’s men found it hard to create opportunities, and they needed to score three to advance through.
