Athletic Bilbao deliver Rangers warning as they warm up for Europa League clash with second-half masterclass

Barry Ferguson and his Rangers squad were sent a strong weekend message by their Europa League opponents Athletic Bilbao as they warmed up for Thursday’s huge quarter-final clash against the Light Blues with an impressive 3-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano in La Liga on Sunday night.

After being held to a 0-0 draw by 10-man Rangers in last week’s first leg in Glasgow, head coach Ernesto Valverde will have been pleased with what he saw from his side, as they roared back from 1-0 down to take all three points at Estadio de San Mamés thanks to a second-half masterclass from key man Oihan Sancet.

It was Rayo Vallecano who started the brighter of the two sides though, with the visitors taking the lead just before the break in Bilbao when Pathe Ciss reacted first to Unai Simon’s penalty save from Pedro Díaz on 37 minutes, and hammered home beyond the Spanish international.

Rangers' Nicolas Raskin in action during the UEFA Europa League quarter-final, first-leg match at Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow against Athletic Bilbao. (Photo by Jane Barlow/PA Wire)

The shock half-time lead for Rayo prompted Los Leones boss Valverde to introduce strikers Sancet and Maroan Sannadi at the break as he went in search of an equaliser, and he was almost instantly rewarded when the duo combined to help level the scores on 58 minutes, with top-scorer Sancet expertly finishing from the spot after Sannadi had been dragged down in the area.

With the scores locked at 1-1 going into the final throws of the game, star player Nico Williams blasted the home side into the lead with a stunning drive on 80 minutes, before Sancet bagged his second of the game in injury time with an eye-catching long range strike of his own.

It comes in contrast to how Rangers warmed up for the clash, with the Gers forced to rely on Ianis Hagi’s 95th-minute equaliser against Aberdeen at Pittodrie as they scrambled for a late draw after Ross McCausland had been sent off.

An important league victory for the Spanish giants, the win puts pressure on third-placed Atletico Madrid, who they trail by just three points but, perhaps more importantly, it means they are now a full six points clear of fifth placed Villarreal, and once step closer to automatic qualification for next year’s Champions League.

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Prior the weekend game, head coach Valverde had expressed frustration at the criticism his side had received for not beating 10-man Rangers in last week’s first-leg, saying: “I don't understand, we haven't been successful? If we score the penalty, it's a different story. We didn't create scoring chances against Villarreal in the game before that, but we did at Rangers. They closed us down and defended really well.

"We didn't get everything right, that's true, but it was a better result than at Roma, where we lost the first leg. It was just that we couldn't take advantage of the numerical advantage We're a team that attacks a lot, but sometimes we struggle to create chances. But we are definitely a team who are capable of scoring goals."

Athletic Bilbao welcome Rangers in the Europa League quarter-final second leg this Thursday, with kick-off scheduled for 8pm UK time.