GLASGOW, Scotland (CMC) – Reggae Boy Kemar Roofe overcame bad luck to steer Rangers into the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday night with a dramatic extra-time goal that settled an engrossing tie against nine-man Sporting Braga, the Scottish Premiership club winning 3-1 at Ibrox and 3-2 on aggregate.

The 29-year-old Roofe followed up his league hat-trick at the weekend, his first for Rangers, by sealing a tie with German club Leipzig – first leg away on April 28 with the Ibrox return the following Thursday – when he scored from close range on 101 minutes after earlier having two goals ruled out and striking the bar from close range.

It was Roofe’s 16th goal of the campaign, including one for Jamaica in a 2-0 win over Honduras in a World Cup qualifier in October.

He said after the game: “It’s unbelievable, it means so much to everybody here. It’s a special night.

“I had two disallowed, one off the crossbar, I thought it was going to be one of those nights for me.

“The fans demand it so we have to produce it. It’ll probably all sink in at the end of the season.”

James Tavernier’s early goal cancelled out the Portuguese side’s first-leg lead, before he had the crowd on their feet again by adding a first-half penalty moments after Vitor Tormena was sent off.

Rangers had the ball in the net three minutes after Tavernier’s early strike when Roofe met Borna Barisic’s cross with a precise header. But the celebrations were cut short after a VAR check harshly penalised Barisic for handball in the build-up.

Roofe later broke free of the defence and chipped into the net, but was adjudged marginally offside.

Dominant Rangers, who had three strikes in all disallowed, paid for their profligacy when David Carmo’s 83rd-minute header forced extra-time.

Braga’s hopes of another comeback faded, however, when Iuri Medeiros was booked and sent off for dissent for arguing over a yellow card, four minutes after Roofe pounced to seal Rangers’ first continental semi-final in 14 years.

The result gave a huge boost to Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men ahead of Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final against Premiership leaders Celtic at Hampden.

Manager van Bronckhorst said: “It’s a big night and a big result for us.

“It was a game that was up and down, 10 men, nine men, goals disallowed, it was quite hectic but at the end of the day we are through to the semis.

“I’m very proud. To reach the last four in Europe is a major achievement for everyone. We worked hard for it.

“It’s going to be a hectic schedule to the end, but we don’t want anything different. To proceed in Europe is huge.”

The prospect of a Europa final against English Premier League side West Ham United remains alive, with David Moyes’ side facing Eintracht Frankfurt in the other last-four tie.

Roofe’s Reggae Boyz teammate Mikhail Antonio has lost his scoring touch of late, but the Hammers secured their first European semi-final in 46 years with a stunning second-leg victory in Lyon, winning 3-0 on the night and 4-1 on aggregate.