Rangers made tough work of Legia Warsaw at Ibrox on Thursday night and fans weren’t impressed with loanee Sheyi Ojo.
With the aggregate score at 0-0 it was always going to be nervy – a goal for Legia would have meant Rangers needing two.
Ojo had a great chance to settle the nerves around Ibrox with a big chance in the first five minutes but he slashed wildly at the ball and it went well wide.
He was named in the starting line-up after missing the St Mirren game at the weekend but he looked off the pace throughout the first half and that was picked up by Rangers fans.
The score was 0-0 at half-time and that ramped up the nerves but Rangers looked much better in the second half, with Ojo going close with a curling effort that didn’t have enough power to seriously trouble the goalkeeper.
Legia had a late chance in the 89th minute that forced a good save from Allan McGregor before the ball was sent up the other end where Alfredo Morelos was left free to head the ball into the net and send the home fans wild.
It means Rangers join Celtic in the Europa League group stages where Ojo will have more chances to shine on the big stage.
Here are the best reactions to his display tonight:
Hate to say it but Ojo looks another Ejaria.
— FollowFollowGru?? (@FollowFollowGru) August 29, 2019
https://twitter.com/BelfastUKnew/status/1167160571197906944
https://twitter.com/1872Rck/status/1167160535122665485
Ryan Jack and Katic have been the best players on the park. Ojo needs to come off ASAP, can’t carry passengers at this level
— Craig Batton (@Craig_Batton) August 29, 2019
https://twitter.com/J13CBV/status/1167159755284123649
Steven Gerrard had to make a late call over Ojo after the Liverpool loanee picked up a knock in the first leg of the tie last week. That kept him out of the 1-0 win against St Mirren at the weekend, and it looked like he wasn’t 100% tonight.
One fan said Rangers “can’t carry passengers at this level” while another said that he looked like a “bag of nerves”.
One particularly harsh fan compared him to Ovie Ejaria, the Liverpool loanee who started off brightly on loan at Ibrox last season before fading out and returning to Liverpool early. That’s not fair to a player who’s already scored four goals and supplied three assists, but it shows how unforgiving supporters can be.
I'd be taking Ojo off, looks off the pace of the game. Not his night.
— Richard Devlin (@RicDevlin) August 29, 2019
https://twitter.com/rappinghood1/status/1167161085293731840
https://twitter.com/Mrrangers191/status/1167161000803667968
Steven Gerrard needs to take off sheyi ojo. And put on Jordan Jones. Ojo gas been shite
— Robert (@RangersRobert83) August 29, 2019
Jones for Ojo please ?
— BigPring (@BigPringle) August 29, 2019
https://twitter.com/greglindsay88/status/1167160253785497601
Some Rangers fans wanted to see Ojo taken off at half-time and Jordan Jones introduced. Jones has pace to burn and fans were thinking that he would cause the Legia defence more problems than Ojo. Gerrard didn’t make the change the fans were looking for at half-time and when Jones was introduced in the 72nd minute, it was Scott Arfield who was taken off.
Ojo went off in injury time to a decent reception, although the Rangers fans were still on a high from Morelos’ goal a couple of minutes earlier.
When the whistle went Gerrard celebrated wildly and Ibrox breathed a sigh of relief. Rangers are in the Europa League proper.