Europa League reports | Rangers progress to Progres clash

Alfredo Morelos struck his third Gers hat-trick as Jermain Defoe's double and Joe Aribo strike sealed a 10-goal aggregate triumph.

And now having swept aside the minnows of Gibraltar, the Light Blues will welcome their old foes from Luxembourg to Glasgow next Thursday as they look to lay to rest the Neiderkorn ghosts of two years ago.

Thankfully for the Ibrox faithful, the team now managed by Steven Gerrard bear little resemblance to Pedro Caixinha's team of that time.

The Portuguese boss presided over arguably the club's worst ever result when Rangers crashed out to the Grand Duchy part-timers in the opening qualifier of the 2017/18 campaign.

But it would be an even bigger shock should Progres repeat the feat against a squad now bursting with attacking options.

Last week's crushing win under the Rock of Gibraltar allowed Gerrard the luxury of sweeping changes for the Glasgow return, with only Connor Goldson and Glen Kamara keeping their places.

New signings George Edmundson and Jake Hastie came in for their debuts while Aribo, Matt Polster and Greg Stewart were making their competitive home bows in Govan.

And it took just two and a half minutes for Aribo to open his Ibrox account.

The entire St Joseph's defence was caught cold as Greg Docherty slid a cute reverse pass in behind for the former Charlton midfielder to bury low into the net.

As expected it was one-way traffic from there on in but there was still a hint of last week's first-half display as Gers again made heavy work of adding to their lead.

The Ibrox support had turn up expecting a goal-fest but Gerrard did not look to perturbed as a series of chances went begging, knowing his men are not yet up to full sharpness.

Stewart looked rusty as failed to finish a close-range header while Morelos carelessly wandered offside on 27 minutes as he collected a Docherty pass, with the flag already up by the time Hastie stuck the Colombian's cross into the net.

Andy Halliday clipped a free-kick just past the far post, while Hastie got his feet all wrong as he skewed another golden chance wide.

But the second did arrive just before the interval. Hastie fired a corner to Goldson at the corner of the six-yard box and the defender's flick fell perfectly for Morelos to head home at the back post.

Morelos scored again from the penalty spot 12 minutes into the second half after Docherty was bundled over in the box by Daniel Guerrero.

And last season's top scorer notched his fourth of the new campaign already on 66 minutes as he guided home from yet another teasing Docherty delivery from the right flank.

Having claimed the match ball, Morelos immediately made way for Defoe but the 36-year-old ensured Rangers lost none of their killer touch.

Number five was a carbon copy of the fourth, this time with Polster acting as provider and Defoe the finisher.

The Englishman then grabbed his 10th goal in Rangers colours late on after a neat move involving Scott Arfield and Stewart opened up St Joseph's yet again.

Aberdeen through after late winner

Lewis Ferguson scored with the last kick of the ball to earn Aberdeen victory in Finland and ensure they progress in the Europa League qualifiers.

The Dons suffered a shocking start to the second leg, with RoPS Rovaniemi netting inside two minutes to put themselves in the driving seat on the away goals rule.

But Sam Cosgrove converted a 27th-minute penalty and Aberdeen endured precious few scares before Ferguson broke clear right at the end of four minutes of stoppage-time to seal a 2-1 victory.

The 4-2 aggregate win sends Derek McInnes and his players into the second qualifying round to take on Georgian side Chikhura Sachkhere.

It was job done for Aberdeen in the capital of Lapland but the tie proved far closer than it should have been.

The Dons had 33 efforts on target in the first leg at Pittodrie before seeing a 2-0 lead cut in half with almost the final kick of the ball.

Their advantage was wiped out completely at the start of the second leg when Tarik Kada held off Scott McKenna before firing a shot that deflected in off Ash Taylor.

Aberdeen set about peppering the home defence with a series of crosses, with Niall McGinn and Ryan Hedges delivering several threatening balls.

Ferguson came close in the 17th minute when he headed inches beyond the post following Shay Logan's centre.

And the former Hamilton player soon won the spot-kick after tempting ex-Kilmarnock defender Mahamadou Sissoko into making a reckless penalty-box challenge.

Cosgrove dispatched the penalty past former Inverness goalkeeper Antonio Reguero.

The striker missed two great chances either side of half-time, firstly sending a free header wide from eight yards following a Hedges cross, and then missing the target from four yards after getting above his marker to meet John Gallagher's delivery.

Hedges and Taylor threatened from long range and McGinn caused panic for the hosts three times in quick succession, delivering dangerous crosses either side of a clever chip which the back-tracking Reguero tipped over.

The tie remained delicately poised though and Aberdeen gradually retreated as the Finns threw men forward in search of a goal that would take it to extra-time.

Joe Lewis saved well from Youness Rahimi and Ferguson raced clear in the dying seconds and saw his deflected effort land over the line after having his initial effort saved.

Kilmarnock crash out

New Kilmarnock manager Angelo Alessio endured a nightmare home debut as the Rugby Park side crashed out of the Europa League qualifiers to Welsh underdogs Connah's Quay Nomads.

Rugby Park was hosting its first European tie in 18 years and Kilmarnock were looking to build on their 2-1 first-leg lead and secure a tie against Partizan Belgrade in the second qualifying round, but instead it was Connah's Quay who progressed following a sensational 2-0 win.

Second-half goals from Ryan Wignall and Callum Morris (penalty) turned the tie on its head and ensured former Chelsea, Juventus and Italy assistant manager Alessio had a home debut to forget.

Both sides ended the match with 10 men as Stuart Findlay was shown a straight red for conceding the penalty and then goalscorer Wignall was sent packing in the closing stages.

Kilmarnock had worked wonders to qualify for Europe under former boss and now Scotland manager Steve Clarke but this was a humiliating exit.

For Connah's Quay and their manager Andy Morrison this was a wonderful result and they proudly march on in the competition.

Connah's Quay should have taken an early lead when Michael Wilde's low cross was dummied by Declan Poole and ran for the unmarked Morris but from eight yards out and with the goal at his mercy he somehow put his effort wide.

Kilmarnock then spurned chances to make the breakthrough as Rory McKenzie drive forward and slide possession to Greg Taylor but the full-back scuffed his effort goalward and goalkeeper Lewis Brass saved. The rebound came back to McKenzie and he lashed in a shot but Brass was equal to the test as he pulled off a fine save to turn it wide.

Taylor was then presented with another chance when Burke pirouetted on the edge of the box to create space and then burst into the penalty area and his cross came to the Scotland international but once again he could not force the ball past Brass.

Kilmarnock right-back Stephen O'Donnell tested Brass twice in quick succession but the keeper stood firm to keep out his efforts.

Connah's Quay wiped out Kilmarnock's one-goal lead five minutes into the second half through a Wignall header.

Declan Poole swung in a dangerous cross from the right flank and Wignall glanced home a header into the bottom corner beyond the despairing dive of Killie goalkeeper Jamie MacDonald.

Kilmarnock were still ahead on the away goals rule but now this European tie was on the knife edge.

And Connah's Quay Nomads were in the driving seat with 11 minutes to go as they grabbed their second of the night through a Morris penalty.

Sub Jamie Insall broke in behind the Killie defence and was hauled down inside the box by a last-gasp Findlay challenge.

The Killie defender was sent off by Hungarian referee Ferenc Karako and from 12-yards out Morris made no mistake.

Connah's Quay Nomads were reduced to 10 men with five minutes remaining when Wignall received his marching orders after picking up a second booking following a crunching challenge on Alan Power.