Rangers pulled off a surprise 3-1 victory over Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce in the first leg of their Europa League Round of 16 tie at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium.
The Yellow Canaries headed into the clash as favourites after cruising past Anderlecht in the previous round.
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Barry Ferguson, in his interim managerial role recorded a memorable win leaving the Turkish giants reeling and securing a significant advantage for the return leg at Ibrox.
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Against all odds, Rangers, entering the match as underdogs recorded a shock win. The victory marks a pivotal moment in Rangers’ European campaign, injecting a surge of confidence into a team that has faced recent domestic struggles.
Rangers could actually have won by a higher margin had VAR not chalked off two goals for offside.
Cyriel Dessers capitalized on a defensive lapse in the sixth minute. A loose ball in the Fenerbahce box fell to Dessers, who calmly rounded the goalkeeper and slotted home, sending the travelling Rangers support into delirium.
Fenerbahce, spurred on by their passionate supporters, responded strongly. Alexander Djiku equalized on the half hour mark, bringing the home side level.
However, Rangers remained unfazed and regained the lead just before halftime with Vaclav Cerny slotting the ball past the Fenerbahce goalkeeper.
The second half saw Fenerbahce push for an equalizer, but Rangers’ defense, marshalled by the returning John Souttar and Leon Balogun who replaced the injured Robin Propper, stood firm.
Jack Butland produced several crucial saves, denying the home side on multiple occasions.
After having two goals ruled out for offside Rangers did eventually score a third goal. Cerny made sure of the victory with his sides third goal, running onto a through ball from Raskin, and finishing to make the score 3-1.
This result leaves Fenerbahce with a mountain to climb in the second leg at Ibrox. Rangers, meanwhile, will be brimming with confidence as they aim to secure their place in the Europa League quarter-finals.
Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho however, remains defiant and believes it was actually a good result.
In his post match press conference he said: “We were very bad everywhere. I think it’s not fair to say we were very bad in defence, because we were very bad everywhere.
“Maybe you laugh, but for me it was a good result, because the way we performed the result could be bigger than this. “I know that Jack Butland made three fantastic saves. I know that there is, I think, a penalty, but to speak about the referee after this performance, I don’t think it’s ethical.
“The chances we had to score we didn’t. The dynamic in midfield was not good. Defensively, we made incredible mistakes. We never controlled that.
“They defended a lot with the block very low, a good and dangerous counter-attack. So we deserve the punishment of this result.
“But if somebody later wants to ask me do I think it’s over, no, I don’t think it’s over. There is 90 or 120 minutes to play.
“It’s the only positive thing. And from this game, I don’t take any positives. Everything went wrong.
“The only thing I tell them is, don’t celebrate too much. Because there is a second match. It’s my only advice.”
