Last week’s Europa League semi-finals saw major upsets being staged as German side Eintracht Frankfurt knocked out West Ham United while Scottish champions Rangers beat RB Leipzig in their respective second legs. The latter making it to the final has been the surprise of the season for many football fans but it is a well-deserved achievement for the side who have been on a roll since 2021.
Under then-manager Steven Gerrard, Rangers broke all kinds of records with their Scottish Premiership win last season. It was the Glasgow side’s 55th league title, making the Ibrox side in possession of more league titles than any other club in the world.
Now, under Giovanni van Bronckhorst, while Rangers might not be able to defend their league title, they are set to finish strong in second place in the table and Thursday night’s heroics have ensured a European final as well for the team.
The Scottish side went into the second leg trailing 1-0 from the first leg but with the Ibrox faithful backing their team, a first-half 2-0 lead meant that the Rangers were just 45 minutes away from going to the final.
But Christopher Nkunku’s 70th-minute strike meant that the Rangers needed a hero to step up and it turned out to be ex-Everton man John Lundstram who scored the decisive goal with 10 minutes left on the clock to seal the spot in the Europa League final.
It was Lundstram’s quick thinking inside the box that did the trick as the Englishman latched onto the loose ball that goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi could only parry away right back into play. The dramatic win ensured by Lundstram seems to have been etched onto Ibrox fans’ memory as they have been prompted to create a new chant in celebration of his late goal.
The energy-inducing chant was modelled after American singer Belinda Carlisle’s hit pop track from the ’80s titled Heaven is a Place on Earth and was rolled out quite joyously by Rangers fans following their 2-0 win over Dundee United on Sunday in the Scottish league.
In a fan grab of the celebration at Ibrox, Carlisle’s song can be heard being played in the background with the fans singing out the Lundstrum version over the actual lyrics.
Ibrox, Belinda Carlisle, John Lundstram. One of the greatest nights ever. "Ooo baby do you know what that's worth John Lundstram is the best on earth Silky scouser, just what we need, He's gonna win us the Europa League." Well played every @RangersFC player. See you in Seville pic.twitter.com/sGuMO6v11V
Having been unable to prevent relegation along with Sheffield United in the PL, Lundstram would now surely be elated having secured the semi-final win with Rangers and would now be looking to use the fan support to make the final push for the trophy in Seville.
