Despite suffering a damaging 3-1 home defeat to Rangers in the Europa League, Fenerbahce’s Dusan Tadic insists the tie is far from over.
The Serbian international believes his side can still overturn the two-goal deficit in the second leg at Ibrox.
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Rangers’ remarkable victory in Istanbul has left Fenerbahce with a significant challenge, but Tadic remains optimistic.
“It was definitely an unexpected result for us,” the former Ajax and Southampton player admitted.
“Rangers are a very good team, but we are also a very good team too. Unfortunately, we conceded very easy goals that we shouldn’t have lost. We should have been more organised but we weren’t and they punished us.”
He continued, “We are behind after the first leg and of course we have to go to Rangers to win. We have no choice now.”
Alexander Djiku, who entered the match as a first-half substitute, echoed Tadic’s disappointment and acknowledged Rangers’ strength.
“We are disappointed with the result and unfortunately, we did not take advantage of the chances we created and also gave away opportunities we should not have. Rangers were strong,” Djiku said.
Despite the setback, Djiku emphasized the team’s determination to fight for qualification.
“Our aim is to get a result to bounce back in the second leg. We tried everything to get back quickly. We now have to focus on the second leg and do everything we can to get a result that will allow us to advance to the next round.”
While Rangers have secured a commanding advantage, Fenerbahce’s players are adamant that they will not surrender, setting the stage for a tense and potentially dramatic second leg at Ibrox.
