A trip to Prague is usually the cause of a hangover rather than the cure of it. Rangers would show no ill-effects from their Premiership party and their Europa League dreams remain live.

This 1-1 draw with Slavia Prague leaves the tie delicately balanced ahead of the return to Ibrox. With no domestic game this weekend, Steven Gerrard’s side have plenty of time to rest and recover as they set their sights on a place in the quarter finals.

A Filip Helander goal earned Rangers a draw on the night and could prove decisive in the grand scheme of things as Gerrard looks to guide his side a round further than they managed last term before they were beaten by Bayer Leverkusen.

This week marks the first leg of that tie as a capacity crowd packed Ibrox. There will be no such sense of occasion next Thursday evening, but the chance is there for Rangers to see off a Slavia side who will be frustrated not to build on the early lead that arrived through Nicolae Stanciu.

The scenes of celebration at Ibrox and Auchenhowie over the weekend were well deserved for Rangers and encapsulated just what the title means to Gerrard, his players and the supporters. Everyone in each of those three categories knows, though, that one success is not enough and the Prague clash gave Rangers a chance to regroup and refocus.

The defeat to St Mirren in the League Cup last December will go down as the ultimate missed opportunity this term, but the campaign still offers so much promise for Rangers now that the Premiership has been secured. The Scottish Cup will naturally be the main target but progression in this competition has been the aim since the draw was made in the aftermath of that remarkable victory over Royal Antwerp.

The Europa League has built this side in a financial sense, but it has also helped Rangers grow both individually and collectively. Each season has brought further improvement and the levels will need to rise once again next season now that Champions League football is back on the agenda at Ibrox.

The rewards for their Premiership triumph will be plentiful, but they are for the future rather than the here and now and this was not a challenge that would be underestimated.

Like Rangers, Slavia are unbeaten in their top flight and their record at the Sinobo Stadium in recent years in imperious, but that did not make them impenetrable.

An away goal would have been a priority for Gerrard here and he would get what he was looking for after 36 minutes as Helander scored from close range. It was a reward for Rangers’ perseverance as much as anything as they found the going difficult for large swathes of an entertaining first half.

The two goals scored in it could not have been more different. Stanciu showed vision and real skill to break the deadlock as he left Allan McGregor stationary and helpless and found the top corner with a shot that had pace and bend and was perfectly placed into the top corner.

Stanciu is an international team-mate of Ianis Hagi and he was one of several threats that Slavia attacked with. As Rangers’ Romanian playmaker struggled to assert himself on proceedings, Stanciu almost doubled his tally for the night with a strike that was similar in execution but that thankfully was just wide of target.

McGregor had saved smartly from Lukas Provod as he attempted to beat the keeper at the near post from a free-kick on the right flank and Slavia were showing their ability to mix it up in an attacking sense.

They would go long on occasion, while the passing was more intricate on others as McGregor was kept on high alert. It wasn’t quite a case of Rangers hanging on in the game, but Gerrard’s side did struggle to find their rhythm and the sloppy mistakes were uncharacteristic and unexpected.

The scorer of the equaliser came out of the blue as well. A Borna Barisic free-kick came off Connor Goldson and looked to be going wide but Hagi was sharp and had the sense to put the ball back into a dangerous area rather than trying to score from a tight angle.

From a couple of yards out, Helander couldn’t miss and Rangers had their away goal. Slavia would no doubt have been irked at the break, but Gerrard’s side were well in it as they showed the resilience that has been such a key factor of their campaign to date.

Having kept themselves in it, Rangers had a chance to go and win it. Slavia were clearly a side that could cause Rangers problems, but they did look susceptible at times and Joe Aribo should have at least hit the target with an effort from the edge of the area.

The first change from Gerrard came seconds later as Scott Arfield replaced Hagi. Aribo was moved up a line as he became increasingly influential and he almost got an assist as Ondřej Kolář reacted well to scoop away a strike from Ryan Kent that could have looped over the Slavia keeper.

These were encouraging times for Rangers and Goldson was inches away from making it 2-1 as he tried to connect with a Barisic free-kick.

Rangers had asserted themselves and the decision was now whether to stick or twist. In the end, they could be content with what they had.

A wonderful reaction save from McGregor denied Lukáš Masopust and Slavia’s last chance of the night was gone. The keeper is no stranger to remarkable stops on the European stage and this was right up there with the best of them as he showed agility and a strong hand to get down to his left in the blink of an eye.

Time will tell how important a moment it could be and Rangers now have their own opportunity. There could yet be a Europa League party this term.