Calvin Bassey on Rangers breaking 'new boundaries' after Old Firm dismay

Calvin Bassey says he is ‘living the dream’ as he targets Europa League glory with Rangers.

The 22-year-old defender admits he has been overcome with emotion at playing a role in the Ibrox club’s progression to the quarter-finals of the tournament where they face Braga in the first leg of their quarter-final in Portugal on Thursday night.

Now Bassey hopes to follow up the impressive wins over Borussia Dortmund and Red Star Belgrade in the previous two rounds by keeping alive Rangers’ hopes of going all the way to the final in Seville on May 18.

“It would be an amazing achievement,” he said. “Boys dream of playing in the Champions League and Europa League.

“To get this far, you can’t put it into words. I was overwhelmed when it happened. We played well and we just want to keep the form going and keep trying to reach new boundaries - better ourselves and give good performances.

“Braga are a good team. We have got this far and have hopes of getting further. We know we are going to have to be at our best.

“There’s a bit of confidence taken from the games we’ve had previously against Dortmund and Red Star and what we’ve had to overcome.

“The character shown has been amazing. We’re going to show that same character, same drive and same passion tomorrow. Hopefully we will get a result in Portugal.”

Rangers defender Calvin Bassey, pictured celebrating after the win over Borussia Dortmund in February, says he has been 'overwhelmed' by the Ibrox club's Europa League run this season. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Bassey and his team-mates have to bounce back quickly from the disappointment of Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at home to Celtic which left them six points behind their Old Firm rivals in the title race with just six rounds of fixtures left.

“You could see on the pitch we weren’t happy,” he said. “But as the boss says, we just have to put it behind us and move forward.

“We’ve got big games coming up and we believe it’s not over until it’s over. We’ve still got a lot to play for and a lot to fight for.

“We’ve put it behind us for a second and we’re just focusing on the Braga game and making sure we don’t dwell on it too much so it affects our performance.”

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