As the clock confirmed the 90 minutes had come and gone and darkness closed in, a hush finally descended on Panathinaikos’ exuberant supporters.
Russell Martin took one last look at his watch, exhaled deeply and drank in the moment.
It had been far from pretty, but the fact his side did just enough in the heat of Athens will be remembered long after the minor details of this affair are long forgotten.
Handed the most arduous opening assignment as manager of the Ibrox club, he’s entitled to take no little satisfaction from this triumph.
While he was correct to point out that its outcome would not define his side’s season, it was always going to set the tone.
Amid a summer of substantial change on and off the park, a two-legged victory against a seasoned European side will further engender an air of positivity around the club. It feels like a steady first step on a journey.
Djeidi Gassama came off the bench to level the contest in Greece and seal Rangers’ progress
The Frenchman netted his second goal in as many games since joining the club this summer
New manager Russell Martin was thrilled to see his players come through a tough test
Martin and his players may still have to clear two further hurdles to make it to the Champions League proper, but they now have the comfort of knowing they have secured group stage football of some description.
The manager will need no one to tell him how differently all of this might have played out, however.
With his side struggling for composure throughout the match, Panathinaikos — again — fashioned enough chances to get the job done.
While Jack Butland again earned his corn, the fact is that the Greeks were toothless in the final third. A better side would have turned a hatful of chances into more goals and prevailed.
There is still much work for Martin and his players to do. That, though, is for another day. For now, all that truly counts is that a work in progress has cleared an awkward first hurdle.
Djeidi Gassama is emerging as quite the summer signing. A £2.2million capture from Sheffield Wednesday, the Frenchman made an immediate impact with the second goal in the first leg and made another telling contribution here.
Deservedly behind on the night through Filip Djuricic’s header early in the second half, Gassama soon quietened the home supporters with a superb flashing strike, his first touch of the night after coming off the bench. From that point on, Rangers looked good to get the result they came for.
For all the supporters of Panathinaikos descended on the Olympic Stadium in their numbers, there was never any possibility of its 75,000 capacity being troubled.
Teenager Findlay Curtis kept his place in the side after scoring in last week’s meeting at Ibrox
A temporary home for European matches, this stadium still echoed to the noise of their chants. But the running track around the perimeter of the pitch meant it lacked the hostility and intensity of their more compact home, the Apostolos Nikolaidis.
Despite confirming that Gassama was ready to start, Martin kept the Frenchman in reserve, keeping faith the same XI who’d started the first leg.
As predicted, Rui Vitoria’s side came out swinging, forcing four corners inside the first 10 minutes.
With the visitors struggling to get up to the pace of the game, Nico Raskin’s clearing header only made it as far as Tasos Bakasetas. Butland was relieved to see the midfielder’s strike from 18 yards creep a foot wide of the target.
Rangers were certainly looking to get up the park, as Martin had directed them too. In the early exchanges, that proved to be wishful thinking.
Fotis Ioannidis worked a one-two with Djuricic. Butland had to be smartly off his line to shut down the angle and make a telling block.
Indecision by John Souttar then put Max Aarons in trouble. With the full-back beaten to the ball by Facundo Pellistri, Butland again advanced to save the day. Rangers were already riding their luck.
Another green surge up the park brought a further moment of alarm for the visiting bench. Pellistri strode away from the struggling Aarons down the right and dragged Nasser Djiga out of position.
The Rangers supporters were put through the wringer before lapping up the celebrations
His cross was met flush by the head of the flying Ioannidis. Butland didn’t know much about it but was again in the right place at the right time.
With his side detailed to build from the back, Djiga undercooked a pass to James Tavernier.
Duricic pounced and squared the ball to Pellistri. The Uruguayan’s failure to hit the target from 15 yards left his manager flapping his arms and looking up to the heavens.
With men in white jerseys taking it in turns to give the ball away, there was little respite from the pressure.
The half-time whistle was nigh by the time the visitors held the ball for more than a minute. While Raskin headed Joe Rothwell’s corner just over the top, Martin’s side didn’t create a single chance of note from open play in the first period.
The manager raced back up the tunnel the instant the half-time whistle sounded, doubtless with some choice words to impart. They didn’t have the desired effect.
Within nine minutes of the restart, Panathinaikos had the goal they richly deserved. Bakasetas’s in-swinging cross from the right caught those in front of Butland on their heels. Djuricic’s header back across goal was well-placed. Butland scrambled but could not prevent it from sneaking in.
A raised offside flag offered Rangers false hope. As VAR eventually identified, Aarons had played Duricic onside.
Jack Butland couldn’t to keep an awkward Filip Djuricic header out as the hosts went in front
With Rangers rattled, Ioannidis was a hair’s breadth from connecting with Djuricic’s cross and squaring the tie.
The introduction of Gassama arrived when his side most needed him. Starved of service to that point, Danilo had a pair of strikes repelled by a defender then the keeper.
The ball sat up perfectly for the winger. His right-foot strike caught the inside of the far post and went in. The Greeks’ lead had lasted just six minutes.
Having laboured for so long, Rangers could now see the winning post in sight.
Panathinaikos began to force the play. Substitute Adam Gnezda Cerin almost caught Butland out with a speculative cross. Ahmed Touba marched forward and drilled one wide from 30 yards.
The introduction of Jefte for Kieran Dowell suggested Martin was now content for his side to sit in and see the game out.
Panathinaikos rang the changes, but their body language was becoming that of a beaten side.
By hook or by crook, Rangers got the job done. Yet there remains considerable scope for improvement.
