Ally McCoist makes brilliant ‘happy Scotsman’ admission after revealing Rangers bet during USG comeback win

Ally McCoist praised UEFA’s decision to remove the away goals rule in Europe after Rangers survived a Champions League third qualiyfing round scare.

The Ibrox legend declared himself ‘a happy Scotsman’ after watching his old club seal their passage through to the play-off round at the expense of Union Saint-Gilloise.

James Tavernier’s penalty on the stroke of half-time and second half headers from Antonio Colak and Malik Tillman set up a double-header with PSV Eindhoven for a place in the group stage of Europe’s premier competition.

The club’s all-time record goal scorer believes the decision to abolish the away goals tiebreaker, which has often altered the balance of two-legged ties for over 50 years, last season was a smart move by the governing body.

McCoist insists he was also confident Rangers could overcome a two-goal deificit for the very first time at Ibrox, signalling out the performances of two players for praise.

Speaking on talkSPORT’s radio breakfast show, he said: “There were a few interesting individual performances I thought were impressive. Tom Lawrence, particularly in the second half was excellent.

“I thought Malik Tillman looked very good although he came in and out of the game but there’s certainly a player in there.

The 59-year-old added: “I never doubted them. They got a goal at the perfect time and then were quite comfortable really, two good goals in the second half.

“What a statistic, that it’s the first time Rangers have ever come back from a 2-0 deficit. That was amazing. That’s the stat. I cannot believe that. I didn’t know that we’ve never come back from a 2-0 in Europe.

“It was incredible, the atmosphere. Brilliant. I also think the removal of the away goal helps as well, because it means you can be a bit more care free.”

Rangers progression gave McCoist more reasons to be cheerful after admitting he placed a bet on Tavernier to score first in the match.

He added: “I mentioned it yesterday and got quoted 13/2, but I managed to do a bit better than that. I got Tavernier at 8s for first goalscorer, so this is quite a happy Scotsman here!”

If Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side manage to go one step further and qualify for the group stage for the first time since 2010, McCoist reckons Ryan Kent will be key after contrubting 19 goals in Europe since joining from Liverpool four years ago.

He stated: “Kent is key for Rangers, I think, still continues to be key for Rangers.

“He’s the one player, certainly in the Rangers team, who has something a little bit different, in a one vs one situation. He can drop his shoulder and go by somebody. Once he goes by people things can open up.”