'The second half was fantastic' - reaction as Rangers stun Porto in Europa League

If you're looking at these coefficient standings on a phone, you're probably going to need a magnifying glass.

While we're chucking stats around, I should point out that Celtic have now gone six European away games without defeat.

Steven Gerrard remains unbeaten at home in Europe as Rangers boss, with his record standing at 10 wins and four draws at Ibrox.

He's only lost three from 26 home and away.

Goals for 42, against 17.

The gushing praise from Celtic manager Neil Lennon includes a special mention for his captain.

"My goalkeeper made some great saves, which he is paid to do and he's done before," he said. "My centre-half Jullien was incredible, and then we have the quality players going forward. We always looked a real threat. Edouard had their back three in all sorts of trouble all evening, then we came up with a beautiful goal to cement what's been an unbelievable night for the club."

When asked about the influence of Scott Brown, Lennon responded: "In the last 20 years he's been a modern day great. At 34 he is playing some of the best football of his career. People talk about retiring, there's no way, he’s got so much more to come in the next year to 18 months, and he's one of the finest captains in the club's history.

"You see his performance tonight, that’s the embodiment of what Scott Brown brings to Celtic."

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Rangers manager Steven Gerrard speaking to BT Sport, adds: "The game at 0-0 had me thinking one goal could change the whole thing. And they had a couple of attacking moves that could have come off. So you could see Porto are a good side. We still have respect for them. We've beaten a good team tonight.

"They showed us a massive compliment by going more defensive. You look at their back five and from the beginning they put in two extra defenders in compared to two weeks ago. That was a compliment to us. That took us maybe 20 minutes to work it out and they put a lot of quick speed and technical players in dangerous positions.

"After 25-30 minutes we grew in to the game and finished ever so strongly."

Tonight's win in Rome means Celtic are through to the knockout stages with two games to spare.

"We've qualified after four games, that's unheard of for Celtic in Europe," said manager Neil Lennon. "The job's done in terms of qualifying for the next round, but we have a lot of work to do domestically.

"It’s a privilege for me to coach these players and work with the backroom staff who do an unbelievable job behind the scenes."

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard was delighted with Alfredo Morelos' great strike but took a moment to point out that it was an all-round team goal.

Speaking to BT Sport, he said: "Even the bits before the goal - James Tavernier does extremely well and then Ryan Jack's composure showed how far he has come on as a player. He didn't just toss it in to the box, he reversed a pass and it's a magnificent first touch to take it across Alfredo Morelos' body and then he does what he does. It was a world class finish."

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Rangers manager Steven Gerrard was full of praise for his team and for the way they grew into a tense encounter.

Speaking to BT Sport, he said: "It's got to be right up there [as his best result as a manager]. To beat a side of Porto's calibre and the quality of players that they've got - the boys deserve all the credit. The second half was fantastic.

"In the first half we showed Porto too much respect. We never backed ourselves enough. I think their movement in the opening stages of the game sort of set us back a bit. We were a little bit frightened of it, but once we settled we finished the first half quite strong and in the second half we were a totally different team."

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Asked how tonight compares with that famous win over Barcelona seven years ago, Celtic boss Neil Lennon said: "It's just behind it. When we beat Barcelona it was a great achievement for that team and a great night for the club, but this is almost on a par - to come here and play a team who are in great form, packed full of internationals.

"We had a feeling we could do it, we had a bit of belief about us going into this game and our form has been good."

Rangers midfielder Steven Davis got the second goal to wrap things up at Ibrox but the midfielder was full of praise for the player who scored the first.

Speaking to BT Sport about Alfredo Morelos' opening goal, Davis said: "It was a great cut-back from [Ryan] Jack and Alfredo has put it on his left foot and it is a hell of a finish. He has been outstanding for us all season and he has turned up again tonight and got a very important goal for us to set us on our way."

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Reflecting on a dramatic victory, Celtic manager Neil Lennon said: "I'm so proud of the team, not just the winning of the game but the way they played. The character, the bravery and above all else, the real quality. It was a titanic game again and I thought we thoroughly deserved the win. This team just keeps setting new boundaries."

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Following Celtic's stunning last-minute win in Rome, captain Scott Brown said: "It's exceptional we've qualified after four games. We knew how Lazio were going to play, they were quite direct and their movement was great, but we managed to deal with it. I think a lot of people would’ve written us off early doors with the Champions League elimination, but we've came back stronger, fitter and sharper."

When asked where the win ranks in his career, he responded: "It's definitely up there. It’s the first time any Celtic team has won against an Italian side in Italy so it means a lot. The fans were exceptional from start to finish yet again. The lads had to dig deep at some points but we used our pace and quality on the counter attack to win the game."

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Got your coefficient calculators out? If Celtic and Rangers keep up this kind of form, Motherwell will be getting automatic entry to the Champions League group stage.

Well, not quite yet...

As it stands, Scotland are up to 16th in the rankings - having started the campaign in 20th - after roaring past Croatia, Switzerland, Greece and Serbia. We are just a whisker behind Cyprus now.

If it stays that way, the season after next, two Scottish Premiership sides will be in the Champions League qualifiers, with three teams in the Europa League.

Rangers and Young Boys lead the way in Group G, both on seven points from four games and with the same goal difference.

Young Boys, who drew 1-1 at Feyenoord tonight, come to Ibrox in the final round of this section.

If Rangers win in Rotterdam next time out, they are through with a game to spare.

A huge result for Rangers as they take a significant step towards the knockout stage of the Europa League.

It wasn't much of a game until a moment of magic from Alfredo Morelos broke the deadlock. Soon after, a deflected shot from Steven Davis knocked the stuffing out of Porto, who are in real danger of missing out now.

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