Rangers took another small step forward by overcoming Aberdeen. Now they must take a giant leap by conquering Celtic.

Victory over Jim Goodwin's side on Sunday - earned thanks to a Ryan Jack equaliser and Kemar Roofe's extra-time effort - has set up an Old Firm showdown at Hampden.

It will be the most significant test of the progress that Rangers are making under new boss Michael Beale. Indeed, it will be the biggest occasion of the Englishman's career as he bids for silverware for the first time as a manager.

The Dons clash was another afternoon where aspects of the performance could be questioned and critiqued but defender Borna Barisic reckons the spirit of the squad shone through once again as Rangers emerged victorious in difficult circumstances.

Barisic said: "We showed character. We have showed that in the last couple of games to come back and when we are down we will come back.

"I think that is a positive and a big thing. It is not easy to come back after a goal like we conceded for the first one. Before it, we were much the better team and had control of the game.

"We conceded a goal like that and it is not easy to come back. We said in the dressing room we had to reset because we played well and we came back.

"If you want to win something, you need to have that character and that kind of mentality. We had that before, we showed that again. It is a positive.

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"It is a big incentive [to beat Celtic in the final] It is big for the players, for the club, for the fans. We are looking forward to the final and it will be a big game.

"Every game that you play in a final is a game where the details always decide it. We will have confidence."

The meeting with Ange Postecoglou's side next month gives Rangers a chance to lay down a marker of where they are and where they hope to head under the guidance of Beale as he continues to rebuild their campaign.

It has been a trying, testing season at times for Rangers. The darkest clouds have lifted and now it is about adding a silver lining to prove that Beale's side really are heading in the right direction.

Barisic said: "The manager wants to win, of course. He put in our minds that we want to win something this season.

"We know that when you play for Rangers, you have to win. It is nothing new.

"We are building momentum and we have done that since Mick came here. Obviously I haven’t been here [since the start] but when I came back from the World Cup I could see the mentality and what he wanted to do.

"We have trained very good. That is the process. He brings a lot of good things but nothing can happen overnight.

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"We will spend some time to build and bring back everything that we had before. We are in a good way and I think we are building confidence and style and everything through the training sessions and then trying to do that on the pitch. I think everyone can see that."

Rangers were far from perfect on Sunday but few could argue that they were not deserved winners as Anthony Stewart's moment of madness proved to be the blow that Aberdeen couldn't recover from at Hampden.

The Dons had taken the lead late in the first half. It was a moment Rangers must reflect on as Bojan Miovski was left unmarked to convert after Matty Kennedy beat an offside trap that only served to catch out those in blue.

Barisic said: "When it offside now you cannot stop, you need to play until the referee says it is offside. In this case I think it was a confusion between us at the back and it cost us a goal.

"Things like that you learn from. This time we won the game but it shouldn’t happen in a semi-final. It happened but we won."