Athletic Club

The dream is a step closer: Athletic are now in the semi-finals

Goals from Sancet and Nico lead the Lions to a dominant victory over Rangers

Athletic Club continue their unstoppable run in the Europa League. The Lions have qualified for the semi-finals after a dominant 2-0 win over Rangers FC, with Oihan Sancet and Nico Williams getting on the scoresheet once again, repeating their feats against Rayo.

A spectacular San Mamés, with a record crowd of 52,114, had the Lions soaring, giving the Glasgow side no respite. A third continental semi-final is now in the bag and the dream is getting closer. Manchester United will be our opponents.

The Zurigorri were superior from start to finish. They got down to work from the start, with Maroan Sannadi pulling the strings.

Sancet enjoyed all sorts of chances, some of which were blocked by the Scottish defence and another, the result of a great touch from Maroan, which the no.8 sent over the bar.

Maroan himself also had a clear chance, set up by Oscar de Marcos, who put in a great performance on the day he drew level with Markel Susaeta's club record for European appearances.

Rangers barely threatened, mostly thanks to Iñigo Lekue's impeccable marking of Vaclav Cerny.

The full-back played a decisive role in our first goal, playing a long ball for Maroan, who forced John Souttar in to conceding a penalty. Sancet sent Liam Kelly the wrong way from the spot

The most difficult thing, breaking down Barry Ferguson's team, had now been achieved. Rangers now needed to push forward more often and they gave Athletic a scare when Nicolas Raskin hit the post.

That shot, along with a left-foot effort from Cerny, were their only chances. But the scoreline demanded a killer blow, and it came in the 80th minute. De Marcos delivered a superb cross to the back post and Nico floated in to head home.

San Mames went wild. The Lions, exhausted, returned to the changing rooms to find out whether Manchester United or Olympique Lyon would be their semi-final opponents. The first leg of which will be at San Mames on May 1.

In the end, we'll face Man Utd, who squeezed into the semi-finals after a rollercoaster at Old Trafford. Another beautiful chapter await us on this amazing journey.