Neil Doncaster and Nicola Sturgeon hail Rangers for reaching Europa League final

Rangers’ European success of reaching the Europa League final has been hailed by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men defeated RB Leipzig 3-1 and a partisan and raucous Ibrox to progress 3-2 on aggregate.

Rangers will now face Eintracht Frankfurt in the finale in Sevilla later this month with thousands of the club’s supporters set to descend on the city which last hosted a European final in 2003 when Celtic lost to Porto.

After the match, Sturgeon tweeted her praise.

She said: "Congratulations to @RangersFC on a fantastic achievement - good luck in the final!”

On a Scottish football level, Rangers’ progression in Europe has been a huge benefit for the country’s coefficient, something which was noted by Doncaster.

If Van Bronckhorst’s men defeat Frankfurt, they will enter the Champions League at the group stage.

“Everyone at the SPFL would like to congratulate the players, management team and directors at Rangers on reaching the UEFA Europa League final,” he said.

Rangers are in the Europa League final after a 3-1 win over RB Leipzig at Ibrox. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

“It is a magnificent achievement and is very well deserved after playing at such a high level throughout the tournament this season, and we all wish the club the very best of luck for that match.

“Their fantastic performances throughout the competition have made a massive contribution to the country coefficient, with Scotland set to start next season in 9th place in the UEFA rankings.

“This ranking ensures that we continue to have five clubs competing in UEFA competitions, which I am sure will be welcomed by supporters across the country.”