Ewan Murray’s match report has arrived, so I’ll leave you with that. Thanks for your company and emails, goodnight!
Kemar Roofe’s post-match verdict
“I can barely hear you because of the noise! It’s unbelievable, it means so much to everybody here. We had our ups and downs but this is a special night. I don’t think it’s sunk in yet what we’ve achieved.
“That’s the beauty of Ibrox – we get the crowd going and then we feed off them. We’ll do our best against Leipzig and try to reach the final. We’re looking forward to it.”
The Europa League semi-finals
- West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt
- RB Leipzig v Rangers
All four teams will fancy their chances, particularly now that Barcelona are out. And whichever team ends up winning the Europa League, it will be a helluva story.
Ibrox has turned into a bouncy castle. Giovanni van Bronckhorst embraces all his players and then walks over to applaud the fans. The atmosphere tonight was sensational, and the good news for Rangers is that they will be at home in the second leg of their semi-final against RB Leipzig.
Full time: Rangers 3-1 Braga (agg: 3-2)
Peep peep! Rangers have reached their first European semi-final since 2008! They made excruciatingly hard work of it against a Braga side who finished with nine men, but their victory was fully deserved. James Tavernier scored twice in the first half, only for David Carmo’s late header to take a one-sided game to extra-time.
Rangers were rattled by that bizarre plot twist but composed themselves in time for Kemar Roofe – who had two goals disallowed earlier in the game – to put them into the semi-finals. They will face RB Leipzig, with either Eintracht Frankfurt or West Ham waiting in the final.
120 min One minute of added time.
118 min Miguel Fale replaces the goalscorer David Carmo.
118 min The impressive Wright slides a cross towards Arfield, whose first-time shot is blocked. He could have had a hat-trick since coming on at half-time in extra-time.
117 min Rangers waste a couple of minutes by passing the ball around, an eminently more sensible approach when they have two extra men.
115 min Rangers are still pushing for a fourth. All due respect, lads, but sod that! All they have to do is see this game out.
114 min Braga appeal desperately for a penalty after a long throw leads to a bit of a scramble. Nothing doing.
112 min “I’m slightly surprised you think Roofe should have been sent off,” says Sam Campbell. “I thought he pulled out and made sure there was no contact. Although I also thought Rangers should have had a free kick instead of the corner Braga scored from so maybe it has all evened out.”
I thought he tried to pull out but didn’t quite manage it. That said, it’s been an extremely frantic night so I haven’t been able to watch the replay multiple times. And on balance, Rangers fully deserve to go through.
111 min The indefatigable Lundstram rampages into the area and cuts the ball back to Sakala, whose shot is deflected over the bar.
110 min: Arfield hits the bar! I don’t believe this. Sakala’s shot deflected off a defender and was saved by Matheus. The ball ran to Arfield, six yards out, and he somehow launched it onto the top of the crossbar!
108 min Arfield misses a great chance to clinch it! Sakala and Kent combined well down the left, with Kent pulling the ball back to Arfield in the area. He panicked and dragged a tame shot wide of the near post from 10 yards.
106 min Peep peep!
A double change for Rangers Fashion Sakala and Scott Arfield replace Kemar Roofe and Joe Aribo.
And Braga bring on Jean-Baptiste Gorby for Andre Castro.
Half time in extra time: Rangers 3-1 Nine-man Braga (agg: 3-2)
It’s been a tumultuous night at Ibrox. But Rangers surely – surely – are now on course for a Europa League semi-final against RB Leipzig.
105+1 min That was absurd from Medeiros, and has surely ended Braga’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals.
MEDEIROS IS SENT OFF!
105 min Braga are down to nine men. Medeiros left one on Balogun and was rightly booked. Then he got right in the referee’s face and was given a second yellow card!
103 min Braga will argue – rightly, in truth – that Roofe should have been sent off at the start of extra-time. Rangers will give not a solitary one.
He’s had two disallowed, but this one counts! It was beautifully worked down the right. Kamara threaded a square pass into Aribo, who hammered a low cross on the turn into the six-yard box. Roofe got in front of Fabiano at the far post and gleefully sidefooted the ball into an open net.
GOAL! Rangers 3-1 Braga (agg: 3-2; Roofe 101)
Kemar Roofe finally gets his goal!
100 min Braga make another change – Lucas Mineiro on, Al Musrati off.
98 min Bassey’s cross is headed to the edge of the area, where Kent can’t get over the bouncing ball and shoots well wide.
98 min Kent runs Fabiano and digs out an excellent cross that is claimed at the second attempt by Matheus. It’s so tense.
96 min Matheus is flattened again, this time by Aribo, but it was a legitimate challenge for a 45/55 ball. Matheus gets to his feet, accepts Aribo’s apology and then helps Aribo with his cramp.
95 min Ten-man Braga are dominating possession at the moment. Rangers are either tired, rattled or both. It will haunt them forever more if they don’t go through tonight.
92 min Castro is down after a poor challenge from Roofe, who has already been booked. He’s lucky there – he went over the ball and should have been given a second yellow. The referee does get his yellow card out, but only to book one of the Braga coaching staff.
91 min Peep peep! Here we go again.
Full time: Rangers 2-1 Braga (agg: 2-2)
I have no idea how this has happened, but we’re going to have extra-time at Ibrox. The Rangers players should be in the shower, celebrating their first European semi-final since 2008. But Braga – who were a goal and a man down at half-time – held on grimly throughout the second half and levelled the tie through David Carmo’s fine header.
90+6 min A last chance for Rangers! Kent’s deep cross is headed wide by the under-pressure Goldson, the last touch of normal time.
90+5 min Tavernier’s corner is headed away at the near post.
90+5 min Wright wins a corner for Rangers, their last chance to win it in normal time…
90+4 min Vitor Oliveira cuts infield from the left, beating three players in the process, and is about to shoot from the edge of the D when Kamara makes a vital interception.
90+1 min Five minutes of added time.
90 min Leon Balogun replaces a weary Borna Barisic, who had an outstanding game. Calvin Bassey will move to left-back.
88 min It’s ragged now. Rangers are desperate to finish this before extra-time.
86 min Rangers have had 64 per cent possession and 20 shots to Braga’s four. They’ve also had three goals disallowed. But at the moment, it counts for nowt and the tie is going to extra-time.
85 min Roofe is booked for a late challenge on Matheus, who is taking more hits than Tom Reagan.
Braga won a corner on the right, possibly their first of the match. Medeiros curled it flat and hard towards the near post, where Carmo got in front of Roofe and steered a superb header into the far corner.
GOAL! Rangers 2-1 Braga (agg: 2-2; Carmo 83)
I don’t believe it. Braga are level in the tie!
82 min Kamara blocks a long-range shot from Ricardo Horta.
81 min Matheus is still being treated. He stopped Ramsey’s shot on the line and the momentum of both players led to a collision, Ramsey’s knee against Matheus’s head. But he’s up on his feet now and looks okay to continue.
80 min While Matheus receives treatment, Rangers make a double change – Ryan Jack and Aaron Ramsey are replaced by Glen Kamara and Scott Wright.
79 min: Another Rangers goal is disallowed! Matheus is down holding his face after a challenge from an apologetic Ramsey, though I think the goal has been disallowed for offside.
78 min Ramsey slaloms past two players on the edge of the D and is taken down. The referee doesn’t see the trip and waves play on.
75 min Fabiano runs onto a bouncing ball, 30 yards out, and blooters it into a different postcode.
74 min For all their dominance – and it has been totally one-sided – Rangers are still only one goal ahead in the tie.
73 min Goldson is down after a clash of heads with Vitor Oliveira. The Rangers players weren’t happy, but though Oliveira jumped into Goldson, he did seem to only have eyes for the ball. Eventually Goldson gets to his feet and accepts Oliveira’s apology.
NO GOAL! Roofe was indeed offside.
70 min: Roofe has another goal disallowed! This time it’s for offside, though it will be chcked. He ran onto Aribo’s superb flick and lobbed the ball gently over the outrushing Matheus. The offside looks very tight, so this could yet be given.
69 min Rangers are still pushing for a third goal. Barisic’s inswinging free-kick from the right is headed over by Aribo, but the referee gives a corner. Tavernier’s delivery is headed away at the near post. Ramsey picks up the loose ball, plays a one-two with Lundstram and shoots into the side netting from a prohibitive angle. After a poor start he has played pretty well, though he took the wrong option there.
67 min As things stand, the semi-finals of the Europa League will be:
- RB Leipzig v Rangers
- West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt
65 min Yet another wonderful cross from Barisic is headed over at the near post by the diving Ramsey. It was a half chance at best.
63 min Tavernier’s free-kick leads to Goldson smashing a shot off the outside of the post, though it wouldn’t have counted as there was an offside in the build up.
