WHEN Rangers take to the sphere towards Borussia Dortmund for the primary leg of their Europa League play-off tie, it is going to be the fiftieth time they’ve confronted German opposition in Europe.
There have been some memorable outcomes alongside the best way, too, although their first style of Deutscher Fußball was quite bitter to say the least.
Rangers made all of it the best way to the semi-finals of the 1960 version of the European Cup, however then Eintracht Frankfurt got here calling.
The Scottish champions shipped 12 targets over two legs to the Germans, who have been runners-up within the competitors a season prior, dropping 6-3 at Ibrox and 6-1 in Germany.
The next season was a marked enchancment. The Mild Blues reached their first European Cup Winners’ Cup remaining (dropping to Fiorentina) and on the best way they dispatched Borussia Monchengladbach 11-0 on mixture.
The Bundesliga as we all know it was based two years later, with Germany working 5 regionalised leagues earlier than then (just like Brazil) and a nationwide championship related in format to right this moment’s Champions League (group stage then knockouts).
Satirically, Dortmund would Rangers’ first opponents from the newly-formed league.
Forward of their Euro showdown, SunSport has examined the Ibrox facet’s full document towards German golf equipment in Europe and we have additionally appeared again at some traditional matches from down the years.
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Rangers 8-0 Borussia Monchengladbach, European Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-final, 1960
The Mild Blues’ first win towards German opposition was actually noteworthy.
Whereas Monchengladbach weren’t precisely a family identify (barely 40,000 turned out at Ibrox), a win of this magnitude was no imply feat.
The long-lasting Jim Baxter opened the scoring on the web whereas Ralph Model netted a hat-trick as Rangers ran rout towards Die Borussen.
Jimmy Millar and Harold Davis grabbed two of the opposite three targets, with an personal objective from Lambert Pfeiffer including to the German’s distress.
Rangers vs German opposition in Europe
GAMES PLAYED: 49
WON: 15
DREW: 15
LOST: 19
GOALS FOR/AGAINST: 59/68
Bayern Munich 1-0 Rangers (AET), European Cup Winners’ Cup remaining, 1967
Rangers made it to their first ever European remaining in 1967 and have been rewarded with a tie towards German opposition, in Germany.
Nuremberg performed host to the affair with almost 70,000 in attendance together with a large quantity of Gers followers.
Each side have been in quest of their first European trophy however there was further stress on Rangers who had watched rivals Celtic raise the European Cup not every week earlier.
0-0 after 90 minutes (Roger Hynd had a objective disallowed for the Gers), Bayern’s Franz Roth scored the winner in further time.
However Rangers would not have to attend to lengthy to have their revenge.
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Rangers 2-0 Bayern Munich, European Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final, 1972
A 1-1 draw over in Germany meant it was all to play for when Rangers welcomed Bayern to Ibrox, 5 years after struggling heartache in Nuremberg.
80,000 packed into Ibrox and Rangers got here flying out of the blocks. Inside 60 seconds Sandy Jardine’s beautiful strike deceived the nice Sepp Maier and had the gang in raptures.
Derek Parlane added a second on 22 minutes as Rangers held on for a 2-0 win and development to the ultimate the place they’d face, and defeat, Dynamo Moscow to raise their solely European trophy thus far.
Bayer Leverkusen 1-2 Rangers, UEFA Cup second spherical, 1999
Present Gers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst will keep in mind this one fondly.
The Dutchman scored the opening objective on the stroke of half-time to assist his facet on their method to pulling off a memorable win towards Leverkusen, who would end runners-up within the Bundesliga that season.
Jonathan Johannson scored the second simply after the hour mark earlier than a late objective from Thomas Reichenberger pulled one again.
The lead to Leverkusen meant a 1-1 draw was ok at Ibrox within the return leg, although Rangers would lose to eventual match winners Parma within the following spherical.
Rangers 2-0 Werder Bremen, UEFA Cup spherical of 16, 2008
An enormous end result on Rangers’ street to Manchester in 2008, when Walter Smith’s ‘anti-football’ facet (the phrases of Leo Messi, not this author) made all of it the best way to the ultimate of the UEFA Cup.
Rangers began that season’s European journey within the Champions League the place by the way they confronted one other German facet in VfB Stuttgart, profitable at Ibrox however dropping in Germany (within the noughties, Rangers drawing Stuttgart was as predictable as Scotland being drawn towards Israel a decade later).
Bremen, like Rangers dropped right down to the UEFA Cup from the Champions League however there was a way this was a step too far for the Gers. Bremen can be pipped to the 2007-08 Bundesliga title by Bayern Munich.
However goalkeeper Tim Wiese had an evening to neglect at Ibrox. To this present day no-one is aware of what he was doing for Daniel Cousin’s opener, hit from all of 30 yards, and he spilled one other shot from the striker afterward for Steven Davis to comply with up and switch house at shut vary.
A 1-0 defeat in Germany meant the Mild Blues progressed to the quarter-finals however had Allan McGregor to thank for one world-class save specifically that saved Gers within the driving seat.
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