Before kick-off, this felt, for all the world, like an accident waiting to happen. A new manager with less than seven weeks to turn an ailing tanker around. A clutch of new faces trying to learn on the hop. A pre-season programme which looked light.
Even Russell Martin could not disguise a slight sense of foreboding as he looked forward to his first competitive game as Rangers manager. ‘It’s not all going to be plain sailing,’ he warned on Monday.
Kudos then to him and his new-look side for riding the waves and emerging with a prized victory they’d have gladly settled for prior to a ball being kicked.
At the start of a new era off the pitch, those who carried the hopes of thousands on it belatedly delivered at the first time of asking.
While they still have work to do to close out this tie in the searing heat of Athens next week, another week’s graft behind the scenes should ready them for that task.
There would still be two further hurdles to clear to reach the league phase, of course. Yet the American owners’ hopes of seeing Champions League football return to Ibrox may well be realised sooner rather than later.
Russell Martin took the acclaim of the supporters at full-time following a hard-fought victory
Teenager Findlay Curtis netted his first senior goal for the club to put his side in front
A powerful strike from debutant Djeidi Gassama gave Rangers a two-goal advantage late on
What a night this was for Findlay Curtis. Prior to this, the 19-year-old had only scored for the B Team in the Challenge Cup. Just when his side needed it most, on just his sixth first-team appearance, a quite brilliant strike early in the second half changed the entire feel of this contest.
It won’t be an occasion Djeidi Gassama will forget in a hurry, either. The winger wasn’t deemed fit enough to start here but he wasted little time in making an impact with a scintillating hit to double his side’s advantage.
As polished as his team’s second-half display was, there was truthfully little to admire about Martin’s men in the opening period.
The performances of too many familiar faces were pockmarked with errors. Too few of the new recruits looked up to speed.
In that regard, Martin was thankful for the contribution of Jack Butland. Heavily criticised after some high-profile errors last term, the former England keeper produced two smart saves in the first half to prevent Panathinaikos running away with this tie and delivered again in key moments after the turnaround.
Three of Martin’s seven summer signings, Nasser Djiga, Max Aarons and Joe Rothwell started, with a further three on the bench.
Curtis and Kieran Dowell were tasked with providing the width for Danilo. Butland was given the opportunity to re-establish himself as the first-pick keeper.
Martin would have been pleased at the start his side made. Plenty of sharp exchanges, triangular moves and energetic presses. It didn’t last.
The hosts were put under intense pressure throughout a nervy first half but held firm
Defending a free-kick, Rangers got themselves in an awful tangle, wrongly believing the ball had gone out of play on the far side.
Filip Duricic forced Butland into an excellent save. To the keeper’s relief, Facundo Pellistri smashed the rebound against the outside of the post.
Pellistri never quite cut it at Manchester United but his pedigree was clear here. Only a timely intervention by Curtis prevented the Uruguayan from really testing the keeper after James Tavernier had turned the ball over.
A degree of anxiety began to creep into Rangers’ play. Having passed up multiple opportunities to clear their lines at a corner, the ball fell perfectly for Erik Palmer- Brown. Butland produced another fine stop to deny the American.
The Greeks were starting to fancy this. Rangers’ inability to retain possession for any period served up another chance for Tasos Bakasetas. This time, John Souttar’s sliding block came to the rescue.
For 35 minutes, Rangers struggled to make any headway. A fine lay off by Danilo into the path of Mohamed Diomande finally got the supporters off their seats. Keeper Bartlomiej Dragowski managed to get a fingertip to the low shot.
With the wide men isolated, Danilo suffered through a lack of service. One meaty strike from the Brazilian briefly threatened to hit the rigging only for a deflection to take it wide.
The half-time whistle sounded with Rangers relieved still to be on level terms but, in Butland, they had a man who was in inspired form.
The second period began with him producing another wonderful save to beat away Duricic’s effort. He rather fumbled the Serb’s next shot but did enough at the second attempt.
Martin needed someone to be just as heroic on the front foot. He didn’t have to wait long.
Raskin’s ball to Curtis found the youngster still with a mountain of work to do. Bounding away from Georgios Vagiannidis, he cut inside and put himself within sight of goal.
A superb curling strike with his right foot found the far corner with the help of a slight deflection. The noise almost took the roof off.
Panathanaikos defender Georgios Vagiannidis picked up two bookings either side of the break
John Souttar and captain James Tavernier put in a solid shift at the back to earn a clean sheet
Vagiannidis’s night was about to go from bad to worse. Already on a booking for simulation, he was sent packing for clipping Curtis.
A goal up against 10 men with half an hour left, Rangers suddenly had a gilt-edged opportunity to plant one foot in the next round.
Dowell sent a header onto the roof of the net. Raskin forced Dragowski into two saves in quick succession.
The better side in the first half by a distance, the Greeks were now the team that was hanging on. Rangers began to carve them open at will.
Sensing a chance to build a sizeable advantage to take to Greece, Martin threw on Cyriel Dessers and Hamza Igamane with Gassama also making his debut from the bench. It was to prove quite the gamble.
Just four minutes after taking the field, Gassama watched a Panathinaikos attack break down and got on his toes. The ball was played from Igamane to Diomande and onto the winger.
He flew down the flank, cut inside and fizzed a right-foot strike beyond the keeper. What an introduction.
There’s still work to be done. The tie is by no means over. But this was an outcome the manager would have taken in a heartbeat beforehand.
