Curtis revels in dream Euro debut and praise from Sir Alex

Findlay Curtis, 18, was so excited to start for Rangers against Panathinaikos that he sat up in bed the night before the game to reflect on the biggest moment of his young career.

Rangers won their Champions League second round qualifier with a 2-0 victory after my superb opening goal put Rangers on their way to a victory in the first leg. “My mum came through to me and was like you need to get your sleep,” the winger said.

As Panathinaikos threatened to ruin Russell Martin’s first competitive game in charge, Curtis struggled to make an impact in the first half.

Jack Butland, a goalkeeper, frequently came to Rangers’ rescue, despite the Greek side missing a lot of chances.

After receiving encouragement from his teammates and manager at half-time, Curtis settled in and began to play his game.

The game was changed by his two crucial contributions, the opening goal and Georgios Vagiannidis’ foul that resulted in the Panathinaikos right-back receiving a second yellow card.

“I’m absolutely thrilled,” Curtis said. It’s halfway in the tie, and we’re looking forward to the next game, thanks to winning 2-0 and moving it over to Athens.

I believed the first 10 minutes were good, but after a 10-minute period it was “dead sloppy.”

We spoke about it for a while, then returned the second half, and I believed we had changed.

When Curtis recalled his opening goal, “the first touch was the best aspect of it.

That gave me the confidence to take defenders on and, undoubtedly, to take the one with the red card, to take a touch inside, with the result that obviously [Vagiannidis] was sent off.

“I believe that passing the ball right and simply acting in the right manners and habits boosts confidence.”

Sir Alex Ferguson, a former manager of Aberdeen and Scotland, and former Rangers striker and manager of Manchester United, gave Curtis a fantastic night.

Curtis simply congratulated me on reaching my goal.