Dortmund 2 Rangers 4: Alfredo Morelos stars as Scottish champs earn stunning first-leg win in Europa League tie

RANGERS stunned European giants Borussia Dortmund in their own back yard to take a commanding lead into the Europa League second leg at Ibrox.

The Scottish champions relished playing inside the notoriously hostile Signal Iduna Park which was filled with just 10,000 fans.

Dortmund were unable to fill their 81,000-seater stadium due to Covid-19 restrictions in Germany, all but eliminating their home crowd advantage.

In fact, it was the small but mighty 500 Rangers fans who were making all the noise - and their team responded to them in emphatic fashion.

Rangers took the lead just over five minutes before the half-time break.

Dortmund defender Dan-Axel Zagadou was penalised for a handball inside his own penalty area and the ever reliable James Tavernier made no mistake from 12 yards.

Rangers then found themselves heading into half-time up two to the good thanks to Alfredo Morelos.

The striker peeled off the back of Julian Brandt from a corner and tapped home at the far post.

FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN NEW CUSTOMER DEALS

Furious with the start his side had made, Dortmund boss Marco Rose brought on teenagers Giovanni Reyna and Youssoufa Moukoko.

Ahead of Thursday's fixture, Reyna would have been hoping to get one over on the man he was named after, Rangers' Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Reyna's dad Claudio was close to Van Bronckhorst when they played for Rangers in the late 90s to early 2000s.

So close that the Rangers boss would've known Gio since he was 'peeing his pants.'

But Reyna's arrival didn't stop The Gers from extending their lead.

Former Sheffield United midfielder John Lundstram added a third for the visitors after some brilliant work down the left-hand side by Ryan Kent.

England star Jude Bellingham offered Dortmund a glimmer of hope when he pulled a goal back two minutes later.

But Dortmund found themselves back at square one again when Morelos saw his effort deflect off Zagadou and into the far corner.

And just when it looked like Dortmund would be travelling to Ibrox next week three goals behind, Raphael Guerreiro picked out the top left corner with a fantastic strike to give the German side a fighting chance.

⚽ Read our Football News Live blog for breaking news, transfer gossip and must-read stories