Rangers show 'character in abundance' to defy Ibrox woes
Rangers showed "character in abundance" to recover from a fourth straight home defeat as they kept Europa League dreams alive on a "special" Ibrox night, according to interim head coach Barry Ferguson.
Fenerbahce won the second leg of the last-16 tie 2-0 in Glasgow, levelling the scores on aggregate, but then failed to convert three of their five penalties in a shootout that followed as Rangers once again defied the odds in Europe.
This run to the quarter-finals comes in a season of domestic turmoil - dumped out of the Scottish Cup by Championship side Queen's Park, beaten in the League Cup final by Celtic and trailing their city rivals by 16 points in the Premiership.
Philippe Clement was dismissed as manager as a result and, despite the impressive performances under the Belgian in Europe, it was Ferguson who Rangers have trusted for the remainder of the campaign.
Led by the former club captain, the first leg was a swashbuckling triumph in Istanbul, a counter-attacking masterclass.
A double from Poland midfielder Sebastian Szymanski eroded all that good work in 90 minutes back in Glasgow, but Ferguson was pleased by how his players recovered with the spot-kicks.
"They showed character in abundance tonight and we have to do that going forward," Ferguson told TNT Sports. "Overall, I'm just delighted to be into the quarters.
"We've still got to work at a lot of things, but that tonight is what my teams are built on.
"I know they're good players, but it takes more than a good player at Rangers, that's something we're trying to drill into them. Tonight was a big test for them and I think they came through it. It's easy for your head to go down at 2-0, but they never gave in."
- Mourinho hits out at ref and VAR after loss to Rangers
- Rangers beat Fenerbahce on penalties to reach Europa League quarters
In the three home matches preceding Fenerbahce's visit, Rangers lost to St Mirren, Queen's Park - when captain James Tavernier missed a late penalty - and Motherwell.
It was a familiar story against Fenerbahce and Rangers have now lost four matches in a row at Ibrox for the first time in their history.
Despite another defeat at home, former Rangers striker Steven Thompson praised the way they recovered after normal time.
"I've got to give them massive credit because, at 2-0 down, heading into extra time, I feared for Rangers," Thompson said on Sportsound.
"But they managed to galvanise themselves and regain composure. They showed a lot of bravery, shown mostly by their captain Tavernier.
"Rangers' penalties were excellent and Jack Butland was phenomenal."
'We didn't practise penalties'
Goalkeeper Butland has come in for criticism this season, with several high-profile mistakes dotted throughout Rangers' difficult domestic campaign.
It has been a far cry from his debut season at the club, where his consistently excellent form led to him being linked with a return to the England squad, even if that never transpired.
He stood up when it counted against Fenerbahce, though, saving efforts from Dusan Tadic and Fred in the shootout before Mert Hakan Yandas missed the target completely.
"It's not tough," Butland said. "When you play in this place with everything that's on the line, it's your nature.
"We are something special. I wanted to put something up for the guys, I wanted to get it done. You can't top this feeling.
"The boys dug deep and this is the reward you get - it's what the fans deserve. We could have been more clinical, but, boy, we deserved this."
Former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday says Butland has more than atoned for previous errors.
"Jack Butland is the hero," he said on Sportsound. "We talked about his lack of form this season, compared to last. All of that is firmly out the window."
And Tavernier revealed that there were no special preparations for the possibility of a shootout.
"We probably did it the hard way, but these are the special nights in European football, which you can't replace," Tavernier told TNT Sports.
"We didn't actually practise [penalties] this week. Maybe that helped."
Have your say
What did you make of Rangers' performance on the night and are you optimistic for the upcoming clash against Athletic Bilbao?
- Visit our Rangers page for all the latest news, analysis and fan views
- Get Rangers news notifications in the BBC Sport app
-
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 - 10h -
"Ghosts" star Rebecca Wisocky on her character's plot twist, show's success
Rebecca Wisocky, star of the hit CBS comedy "Ghosts," said she was surprised to hear her character would have Irish heritage despite predicting it.CBS News - 1d -
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 - 13h -
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 - 6h -
Starship Explosions Show SpaceX No Longer Defying Gravity
Consecutive losses of the Starship rocket suggest that the company’s engineers are not as infallible as its fans may think.The New York Times - 4d -
Milan Fashion Week Street Style: See All the Fashion and Looks
Evocative flourishes were in abundance in and outside shows at Milan Fashion Week.The New York Times - Mar. 5 -
Rangers Are Demoralized Following Disastrous Weekend
The New York Rangers received a big-time reality check as they lost 7-3 to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday night.Yahoo Sports - 4d -
Sony testing AI to drive PlayStation characters
PlayStation characters may one day engage you in theoretically endless conversations, if a new internal technology video bares out.VentureBeat - 2d -
What’s Driving Tesla’s Woes?
As Tesla faces a global sales slump, and with shares down for the seventh consecutive week, could Elon Musk's antics really be to blame?Wired - 6d
More from Yahoo Sports
-
Report: Liverpool Identify New Right-Back Target Amid Transfer Uncertainty
Liverpool Eye Ola Aina as Potential Successor to Trent Alexander-ArnoldLiverpool’s summer transfer plans may take a dramatic turn as uncertainty looms over the future of Trent Alexander-Arnold. ...Yahoo Sports - 18m -
Who do Colts pick in post-free agency 2025 NFL mock draft?
Following the initial wave of NFL free agency, who did the Indianapolis Colts pick in the first round of a recent 2025 NFL mock draft?Yahoo Sports - 21m -
New York Giants' Chauncey Golston has no position preference: 'Prefer to be on the field'
Chauncey Golston doesn't care what role the New York Giants have in store for him so long as he's on the field.Yahoo Sports - 21m -
Brignone closes in on overall World Cup title with super-G victory near her Italian hometown
Federica Brignone all but locked up the women’s overall World Cup title by winning a super-G on Friday, giving the Italian a near-insurmountable lead in the season standings. Brignone extended her ...Yahoo Sports - 22m -
2025 NFL draft: List of Bills selections after comp picks are awarded, Kaiir Elam tradde
An updated view of the Buffalo Bills draft picks for the 2025 NFL Draft next month following the trade of Kaiir Elam.Yahoo Sports - 23m
More in Sports
-
The King, The Stilt and a Splash Brother: Meet the holders of the NBA's most unbreakable records
After LeBron James crossed the 50,000-point mark, and Stephen Curry about to surpass an unprecedented 4,000 three-pointers, here are other NBA records that, for now, look to be unbreakable.ESPN - 11m -
Power Rankings: Knicks slip while the Warriors climb
Our insiders assess all 30 teams with one month remaining in the regular season.ESPN - 11m -
Team-by-team preview: Can Orlando Pride repeat as champions?
With the National Women's Soccer League returning to action this weekend, we take a look at where the 14 clubs stands and how close each is to winning the NWSL championship.ESPN - 12m -
Liverpool's Slot looks to follow Klopp, Newcastle chase history
Plenty is at stake when Liverpool face Newcastle in Sunday's Carabao Cup final.ESPN - 12m -
After PSG beat Liverpool, we ask: Is Dembélé the world's best?
Right now, I'm confident that Ousmane Dembéleé is the best soccer player in the world. Here's why.ESPN - 12m