Kemar Roofe Rangers Standard Liege 2020-21Getty

Roofe sets new Europa League record with stunning halfway-line goal for Rangers in win over Standard Liege

Kemar Roofe’s stunning goal from the halfway line for Rangers against Standard Liege on Thursday set a new all-time record in the Europa League.

The English forward held off the challenge of one opponent, skipped past another and beat the goalkeeper from right on the halfway line to cap a 2-0 win for Steven Gerrard’s side.

Roofe’s shot was measured at 54.7 yards (49.9m) out – making it the longest-range goal ever scored in the Europa League.

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Roofe, 27, has proved a hit at Ibrox since joining Rangers from Anderlecht in the summer.

This was his third goal for his new club, following previous efforts against Kilmarnock and Dundee United, though he missed their 2-0 win over rivals Celtic with a calf injury.

He scored seven goals in 16 appearances for Anderlecht after two good seasons in the Championship with Leeds.

Roofe signed a four-year deal at Rangers in the summer and will be hoping this sensational goal will open the floodgates as he returns to full fitness.

"Rangers are a huge club, with ambition and I know this is the right fit for me to progress my career. I am looking forward to experiencing Ibrox and am excited to play in Europe,” Roofe said after signing – and he will no doubt have enjoyed his first taste of European action.

The game in Liege was Roofe’s first in European football, and his old employers Anderlecht will no doubt have been pleased to see him score against their Belgian rivals.

After failing to make the grade at West Brom, Roofe earned his chance at Leeds after working his way through the Football League with loans at Northampton, Cheltenham, Colchester and Oxford, who he eventually signed for on a permanent basis in 2015.

Eighteen goals in League Two in 2015-16 convinced Leeds to sign him the following summer, though he struggled to adapt to the higher level in his first season, only scoring three Championship goals.

Roofe hit 11 the following season and 15 the year after that, earning his move to Anderlecht and eventually Rangers.

Rangers’ next Europa League fixture sees them host Lech Poznan, before a trip to Portuguese heavyweights Benfica in early November.

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