Ex-Rangers star admits Haaland fears, reveals Bellingham shock and how Ibrox classic was won in the tunnel

Goldson, 33, was a key performer in Rangers’ remarkable run that saw them knock out Borussia Dortmund, Red Star Belgrade, Braga and RB Leipzig under former head coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst, and has been reflecting on the famous nights at Ibrox that led them all the way to the final against Eintracht Frankfurt in Sevilla.

While Rangers fell at the final hurdle, losing on penalties to their Bundesliga counterparts after drawing 1-1, many of the games leading up to it are still revered in Ibrox folklore, with their 3-1 semi-final second-leg win over RB Leipzig one of the most emotionally charged nights in the club’s history following the passing of popular kitman Jimmy Bell just days before the game.

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"We lost 1-0 at Leipzig and I remember in the changing room I was said 'boys, 1-0 is nothing. We're at Ibrox next. We'll win',” Goldson told the Open Goal podcast. “I knew we would win. Jimmy died on the Monday, and we went into the game on Thursday and we knew we were going to win. We knew we were winning beforehand.

“You could see the affect it had [on Leipzig's player]. Teams would come and try and play out. Once we are pressing, crowd is with us, you get a goal, and all of a sudden it's like 'do we play out'. But they had no plan B. Then you know you've got them. Calvin [Bassey] allowed you to get away with a lot. His pace allowed you to go one-on-one all over the pitch with Leipzig at home. If you look back at their team now - [Dominik] Szoboszlai, Dani Olmo, [Josko] Gvardiol. The team was incredible. And we went man for man across the whole pitch at home.

"I went up against the big boy [Yussuf] Poulsen. I didn't mind. Second half they changed it to [Christopher] Nkunku and it changed. Movement is good. He'd come short. He'll spin behind. First half, he played on the left against Calvin. He'd go as tight as he wants, if he got spun, he'll beat you in a race. He’d use him arms and just be like get off.”

However, detailing the moment they drew Borussia Dortmund in the last-32 of the competition, Goldson admits he wasn’t always as confident of progression in the earlier stage of the Europa League, but how former boss Van Bronckhorst maximised their chances of victory, saying: “Tav [James Tavernier] was buzzing. I was thinking 'this isn't what you want'. But obviously I'm thinking [Erling] Haaland is going to play. He's bigger than me, stronger than me, faster than me. What have I got to win against him? Tav was saying I could test myself. But I'd rather have had a run in the competition, then all of a sudden you go there and win 4-2 [in the first leg].

“My son was born two days before the game , I was in the hospital all weekend. Ryan Kent destroyed [Manuel] Akanji. It was unreal. He [van Bronckhorst] said we would press them. We went into the Dortmund game thinking it was a free hit. Dave Vos, his assistant, was very good. It was very good in Europe.

“The second leg [Jude] Bellingham was incredible. He was just 18. I've got a story about him. One of my close mates, David Davis, played at Blues [Birmingham City], he’s 30-years-old and Bellingham is like 16. Bellingham took his place at 16. So I text him and asked how a 16-year-old has taken his place in the team. I'll never forget, he said 'he is the best thing you've ever seen in your life. He'll move to Manchester United, Manchester City in the next two years’. He said he was incredible.

"He goes to Dortmund aged 17 and you're thinking 'is he really that good?'. You don't watch the German league, and then we played against him and it was like he was a full grown man at 18. He speaks to people like a man. He called the full-back s**t. Mats Hummels, one of the best defenders of his generation, he started dribbling out with the ball and he's gone to do an outside of the boot pass and almost played someone in. He's shouted 'Mats! Pass me the f***ing ball'. I've looked at him and gone 'oh my God, he's 18'. I tell you one thing though, when they needed him, he was the one that got them back into it. He was everywhere. I got his shirt.