Rangers down angry Mourinho's Fenerbahce to reach Europa League quarters
Jack Butland was the hero as Rangers held their nerve in a penalty shoot-out to dump Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce out of the Europa League and reach the quarter-finals on Thursday.
The Turkish visitors stunned Ibrox by fighting back from a 3-1 first-leg defeat in Istanbul to win 2-0 on the night and force penalties in the last-16 tie.
Butland saved two spot-kicks though as Mourinho, who was left fuming after an extra-time penalty decision went against his side, narrowly failed to mastermind a comeback.
"We did everything to win. The ref and the VAR decided that we should go to penalties," Mourinho told TNT Sports.
"In the first match I was honest and I had enough to say we made mistakes, we deserved to lose but in this match I also have to be honest and say we were the best team by far."
Rangers, two-time runners-up in the competition, will face Athletic Bilbao in the last eight after winning 3-2 on penalties.
The Glasgow giants are bidding to salvage their season in Europe after a miserable Scottish Premiership campaign, with former midfielder Barry Ferguson now in interim charge following the sacking of Philippe Clement.
"We fully believed we were going to get the job done. The boys dug deep and this is the reward you get, it's what the fans deserve," Butland said.
"We could have been more clinical but, boy, we deserved this."
Rangers started well but could not increase their overall lead and fell behind on the night when Sebastian Szymanski brilliantly hooked a volley into the net on the stroke of half-time.
Szymanski levelled the contest on aggregate with 17 minutes remaining by poking the ball past Butland as the match headed into extra time.
Both teams went close to a winner as the game became increasingly stretched, with Fenerbahce goalkeeper Irfan Can Egribayat making a fine save from a James Tavernier free-kick.
Mourinho was booked for his protestations, animatedly making the VAR sign on the touchline, after Mert Hakan Yandas was clipped by Nicolas Raskin in the area but no penalty was given.
It was Rangers who made a dream start to the shoot-out when Butland saved Dusan Tadic's opening spot-kick with his legs.
Egribayat turned Ianis Hagi's penalty onto the post to make it 2-2, but former Manchester United midfielder Fred then saw his effort kept out by Butland before Yandas spooned over to send Rangers through.
jc/dj
Topics
-
Tottenham and Rangers reach Europa League quarter-finals – as it happened
Spurs made it through to the Europa League quarters … as did Rangers after some late Ibrox drama. Chelsea make five changes to the team that started in Denmark last week. Filip Jørgensen replaces ...The Guardian - 11h -
Mourinho hits out at ref and VAR after loss to Rangers
Jose Mourinho claimed Fenerbahce were the "better side by far" despite being knocked out the Europa League by Rangers and hopes his side being denied three penalties at Ibrox is "just random" and ...Yahoo Sports - 4h -
Rangers show 'character in abundance' to defy Ibrox woes
Barry Ferguson hails Rangers' "character" as they keep their "special" Europa League campaign going by knocking out Fenerbahce on penalties despite their Ibrox woes continuing.BBC News - 9h -
Rangers show 'character in abundance' to defy Ibrox woes
Barry Ferguson hails Rangers' "character" as they keep their "special" Europa League campaign going by knocking out Fenerbahce on penalties despite their Ibrox woes continuing.Yahoo Sports - 3h -
Jose Mourinho hits out at ‘arrogant’ referee over Fenerbahce loss to Rangers
The Portuguese boss was left upset after claiming his side deserved three penalties over 120 minutes before the Scottish side triumphed on penaltiesYahoo Sports - 10h -
Odobert double sends Spurs into Europa League quarter-finals
Wilson Odobert scored his first two Tottenham goals as his team booked a place in the Europa League quarter-finals by beating AZ Alkmaar 3-1 on Thursday and 3-2 on aggregate.Spurs will face 2022 ...Yahoo Sports - 11h -
Fernandes hat-trick fires Man Utd into Europa League quarters
Bruno Fernandes led Manchester United into the Europa League quarter-finals with a hat-trick to beat Real Sociedad 4-1 at Old Trafford on Thursday and 5-2 on aggregate.Amorim said after Fernandes' ...Yahoo Sports - 10h -
Butland’s shootout heroics sink Fenerbahce and seal Rangers progress
There was always the sense that, despite the two-goal advantage Rangers had amassed in Istanbul, the second leg of this tie would not pass quietly. It finally ended with Barry Ferguson’s players ...The Guardian - 11h -
Chelsea reach UECL quarter-finals after win over Copenhagen
Chelsea maintain their one-hundred-percent record in the Europa Conference League after seeing off Danish domestic giants FC Copenhagen tonight in a dull 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge. ...Yahoo Sports - 11h
More from Yahoo Sports
-
France must send old cliché ‘you never know which France will turn up’ to the guillotine
In the 1980s, as Les Bleus claimed two Grand Slams and another four championship titles (two of which were tied), you very much knew which France would turn up.Yahoo Sports - 13m -
ASK IRA: Is lack of first-round capital proving to be a major gaffe in Heat’s Jimmy Butler trade?
Q: It seems as if we are stuck in the NBA purgatory of not tanking/not elite for the foreseeable future. What is the theoretical/optimistic path forward in the next two to four years? What should ...Yahoo Sports - 14m -
A debate rages over March Madness selections. Just ask the brains behind them
More metrics than ever will be used for the selection of the 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket. But qualms remain with their application for March Madness.Yahoo Sports - 15m -
Michigan State basketball, Oregon might be 2 hottest teams in the Big Ten tournament
No. 6 Michigan State basketball, on a seven-game win streak, opens Big Ten tournament play at noon Friday vs. Oregon, which has won eight in a row.Yahoo Sports - 15m -
27 days until the Masters: Looking back at the 1998 Masters, O'Meara's brilliant finish
Mark O'Meara birdies the 17th and 18th hole to win his lone Masters title by one shot.Yahoo Sports - 15m
More in Sports
-
France must send old cliché ‘you never know which France will turn up’ to the guillotine
In the 1980s, as Les Bleus claimed two Grand Slams and another four championship titles (two of which were tied), you very much knew which France would turn up.Yahoo Sports - 13m -
ASK IRA: Is lack of first-round capital proving to be a major gaffe in Heat’s Jimmy Butler trade?
Q: It seems as if we are stuck in the NBA purgatory of not tanking/not elite for the foreseeable future. What is the theoretical/optimistic path forward in the next two to four years? What should ...Yahoo Sports - 14m -
A debate rages over March Madness selections. Just ask the brains behind them
More metrics than ever will be used for the selection of the 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket. But qualms remain with their application for March Madness.Yahoo Sports - 15m -
Michigan State basketball, Oregon might be 2 hottest teams in the Big Ten tournament
No. 6 Michigan State basketball, on a seven-game win streak, opens Big Ten tournament play at noon Friday vs. Oregon, which has won eight in a row.Yahoo Sports - 15m -
27 days until the Masters: Looking back at the 1998 Masters, O'Meara's brilliant finish
Mark O'Meara birdies the 17th and 18th hole to win his lone Masters title by one shot.Yahoo Sports - 15m