Nicolas Raskin knows all about Rangers’ run to Seville in 2022 and insists another Europa League final can be a target after reaching the last 16 on Thursday night.
The 23-year-old Belgian midfielder scored after 21 minutes against Union Saint-Gilloise at Ibrox and Czech Republic winger Vaclav Cerny doubled the Gers’ lead before Kevin Mac Allister reduced the deficit late in the game.
After the 2-1 win in the the final league-phase fixture, Rangers found themselves with 14 points from 24 and, against the odds, in the top eight, thus avoiding a play-off.
Philippe Clement’s side will play one of Bodo/Glimt, Anderlecht, Twente or Fenerbahce in the knockout stages in March.
Raskin joined the Govan club in 2023 and has been reminded in-house that the Light Blues reached the final of the tournament in Spain the previous season where they lost to Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt in a penalty shoot-out.
He said: “The club is very proud of that, they’ve been showing it to us. So, yeah, it’s great, but now it’s up to us to take game after game. Why not do the same?
“We’ve got the quality, we’ve got the group, we’ve got the fans to do it. So let’s go for the best.
“It’s hard to say (how far Rangers can go). I think in these kind of competition you need a bit of luck in the draw. You need a bit of luck on the pitch.
“I don’t know, it’s just taking game after game and see where we can go, but we all know we like to perform in Europe.
“The crowd likes to be in Europe, so just trying to make it (last) as long as possible.”
Raskin paid tribute to skipper James Tavernier who, due to injuries, was moved from right-back to centre-back where he still got forward to assist the Belgian with his goal, with a cross to the back post which invited a close-range header from the Gers’ playmaker.
Raskin said: “He’s a leader, an example. If you see him every day, working, setting the standards high, it’s amazing to be like this.
“We all learn a lot from James, and he was amazing. One assist and some great blocks, he is a top player to be fair.
“We as a team never had doubts because we see what he shows us and what he does on the training ground.
“Sometimes football has a short memory, but Tav is a Hall-of-Famer for the club so that means something.
“You can’t disappear in one game, or in one bad spell. Tav is a real leader and we all learn a lot from him so it’s amazing to have him here and help us grow.”
Rangers return to William Hill Premiership duty against Ross County on Sunday in confident mood, looking to keep on the trail of league leaders Celtic.
Raskin said: “It was a good boost for the team because it’s a very good achievement and we are all proud of that.
“But it’s going to be a very different game on Sunday. We need to look at it and try to take the same intensity and go for the win.
“It’s going to be super important to put on another good performance to carry on.”
