Rangers win Scottish Cup to erase Europa heartache

Rangers won the Scottish Cup for the first time since 2009 as Saturday’s 2-0 victory against Hearts erased the pain of their Europa League final defeat.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side were beaten on penalties by Eintracht Frankfurt after a 1-1 draw in the club’s first European final for 14 years on Wednesday.

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But Rangers bounced back from that bitter loss in Seville by ending their long wait to lift the Scottish Cup.

Ryan Jack and Scott Wright scored in quick succession in extra time to break Hearts’ stubborn resistance at Hampden Park.

After surrendering the Scottish Premiership title to Glasgow rivals Celtic and coming up just short in Europe, their spirited victory provided an uplifting end to a rollercoaster season for Rangers.

Van Bronckhorst won the Scottish Cup playing with Rangers in 2000 and this was his first trophy since taking over from Steven Gerrard in November.

“It means a lot, I told the players before the game we haven’t won anything yet,” Van Bronckhorst said.

“We worked so hard and came so far in Europe. But in the end, you want to have something in your hands as a reward, and today we did.”