Our recent 2-0 home win over Panathinaikos marked our first-ever victory in five meetings with the Greek giants.
Goals from Findlay Curtis and Djeidi Gassama at Ibrox gave us a solid first-leg advantage ahead of the return fixture in Athens.
Before last Tuesday, we had faced the 20-time Greek Super League champions on four occasions, recording two draws and two defeats.
Our first encounter came during the 2003/04 UEFA Champions’ League group stage.
The opening match of that campaign saw us travel to Athens, where Alex McLeish’s side battled to a credible 1-1 draw in sweltering conditions.
Former Middlesbrough midfielder Emerson gave Rangers the lead before Giannis Goumas was sent off for the hosts.
Despite the numerical advantage, we were pegged back by a late equaliser from Pantelis Konstantinidis.
The return match at Ibrox proved far more damaging.
Michael Mols had given us early hope with a well-taken opener, but Panathinaikos hit back with three unanswered goals to claim a 3-1 win and knock us out of Europe.
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We wouldn’t face the Greeks again until the 2007/08 UEFA Cup Round of 32, the first hurdle in what would become a historic run to the final in Manchester under Walter Smith.
The first leg at Ibrox was a tense and tactical affair that ended 0-0, setting up a decisive second leg in Athens.
That second leg remains one of the most significant away nights in recent Rangers history. Once again, it was Giannis Goumas, who had been sent off in our previous trip to Greece, who put Panathinaikos ahead with a stunning long-range strike.
With time ticking away and Rangers on the brink of elimination, Nacho Novo etched his name into club folklore.
His late finish silenced the Athens crowd and sent the travelling support into delirium, securing our passage on the now-defunct away goals rule.
Seventeen years on, we return to Athens not searching for a goal to survive but protecting a two-goal cushion, thanks to the efforts of Curtis and Gassama.
Unlike in 2008, we head to Greece with the upper hand and something tangible to hold on to.
As we prepare for another pivotal night in Athens, the echoes of 2008 serve as both inspiration and a reminder of what’s required to progress on the European stage.
That evening, it took grit, resilience, and a moment of magic to get us over the line.
This time, with a lead in hand and momentum on our side, the challenge is different, but no less important.
If Rangers can show the same steel and composure that carried us through seventeen years ago, there’s every reason to believe we can take another significant step forward in this European campaign and back towards the promised land of the Champions League proper and the financial rewards it provides.