Rangers celebrate after John Lundstram (right) scores against RB Leipzig
John Lundstram (right) scored Rangers' winning goal against RB Leipzig

Nostradamus' predictions of the Great Fire of London and the coming of the French Revolution were impressive, but he could not have predicted the Rangers story.

We are now deep in the realm of the absurd after the events of Thursday.

Having started their European campaign with one win from six games, Rangers are going to Seville for a Europa League final against the 11th best team in Germany, having already eliminated the second and fifth best.

There were 32 teams in the beginning. Only two are left. Lazio, Atalanta and Napoli are no longer with us. The teams that are gone are: Barcelona, Sevilla, Real Betis and Real Sociedad are no longer with us. Monaco, Lyon, and Marseille are no longer with us. Porto is gone.

Three of the top seven clubs in Italy were eliminated, as were three of the top five in Germany, four of the top six in Spain, and three of the top seven in France. There is no sign of them.

It is only Rangers and Eintracht Frankfurt. The team that hasn't won a European trophy in 50 years plays the team that hasn't won a trophy in 42 years. It is refreshing and remarkable.

The Germans are the favorites. It is anyone's guess where Rangers are coming from, given what they have done to other teams. We checked with 17 significant players in the odds-laying world and they all had Eintracht at the head of the market.

Rangers, with their will, must be considered favorites in the real world. It is such a striking thing to say that I want to write that again.

Rangers must be considered favorites in the final of the Europa League. Nostradamus would have been fascinated by all of this.

Rangers captain James Tavernier (left) scores against RB Leipzig
Rangers captain James Tavernier (left) scored his seventh goal in the Europa League this season

They once again showed amazing levels of composure and heart in their 60th game of the season. They scored twice in the first half hour against a side with the second best defensive record in the Bundesliga, even though they had no recognised strikers.

They were at that point. They were going to extra time when Christopher Nkunku scored. As they started to wobble under the pressure, it looked as if they might be going out.

'Every one of those players stepped up'

As long as football is played at Ibrox, what happened next will be talked about. There was a chance for Rangers to play a third 120-minute game in 22 days, if they were to win the second leg and advance to the next round.

Every Rangers fan on the planet would have been so affected by what was going on in front of them that they couldn't take their eyes off the action.

When John Lundstram scored, the picture changed again. You had to rub your eyes to make sure it happened. Rangers looked tired and vulnerable, but they found something extra that knocked them out.

Lundstram's goal will add another layer to his legend as he has become a towering presence in this team. The truth is that on the biggest night at Ibrox in 50 years and in the biggest game of these Rangers players lives, they produced a performance of power and substance, a display of the ages. They all stepped up.

James Tavernier got the opening goal for the fifth time this season. Knowing what he can do is not the same as being able to stop him from doing it.

It would have been wrong to compare any Rangers right-back to the great Sandy Jardine. The last time Ibrox hosted a European semi-final, second leg, Jardine and Tavernier both scored.

He is a force of nature. It was his seventh goal of the tournament and his 16th of the season.

'Relentless Rangers show character again'

The idea that Leipzig would be frightened by the noise of Ibrox was fanciful. It was easy to see how Rangers would get inspired by the commotion in their own stadium, but they were cowed by it.

This is a team that has gone to pretty formidable places in Germany and beyond, a club full of respected players linked with moves to Manchester United and Barcelona. The numbers are outrageous even if the fees are half right.

They have lost two German Cup finals and one European semi-final. They also have a glass jaw. We suspected that before and now we know it was true.

Former Rangers kit man Jimmy Bell, Archie Knox and Walter Smith
Rangers have lost kit man Jimmy Bell (left) and former manager Walter Smith (right) this season

The idea of Leipzig losing their nerve when Glen Kamara scored the second goal was not so crazy. They should have been three down by the time Joe Aribo missed his connection. The team was shellshocked and not knowing what to do next.

Rangers did what they did in Germany - controlled fury, harrying their opponents at every turn, but there was an added flourish in attack. They looked dangerous every time they moved.

You watched them play like this and thought about how many points they dropped domestically. In the League Cup semi-final against Hibs, Giovanni van Bronckhorst sat in the stand and watched as his players conceded three goals in 38 minutes. Look where he is.

The death of Jimmy Bell and the loss of one of their greatest managers, Walter Smith, in October has left Rangers people feeling sad, but they might feel comforted in the belief that they had help.

It was something that propelled them forward. The crowd picked them up and drove them on when they couldn't walk anymore. They were relentless. This side of their character has been shown many times.

Their century is less than two weeks away. We say this with respect to the footballing Gods and their infinite powers to ruin a great story, but there is a hint of the unstoppable about Rangers now.

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