Nigerian stars Cyriel Dessers and Leon Balogun were both in action as Rangers lost 2-0 to Bright Osayi-Samuel’s Fenerbahce but secured victory in a dramatic penalty shootout to qualify for the quarterfinals of the Europa League.
Rangers had shocked Fenerbache in the first leg of their round of 16 tie, securing a convincing 3-1 victory courtesy of a brace from Vaclav Cerny and a goal from Cyriel Dessers to end the Turkish side’s impressive 18-game unbeaten run and earn themselves a significant advantage ahead of the second leg at Ibrox Stadium.
However, Fenerbahce who came into the game eager to turn the tie around made a fast start with the intention of scoring an early goal that could boost their comeback prospects. Their impressive first half performance eventually yielded benefits as Sebastian Szymanski scored a stunning goal in the 45th minute to give Mourinho’s men a crucial lead going into half time.
In the second half, Fenerbahce continued to knock on the door as they knew that one goal would not be enough to secure qualification. The breakthrough eventually came in the 73rd minute as Mert Muldur did brilliantly to exploit a gap and set up Sebastian Szymanski who scored his second goal of the game to make the scoreline 2-0 on the night and 3-3 on aggregate.
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With both sides unable to secure victory in normal time, the game went into extra time where Fenerbahce dominated but were unable to create chances against a determined Rangers’ side eager to seal qualification in front of their home fans. Both teams could not be separated at the end of extra time, as such, the game went into penalties despite Mourinho’s protests that his team should have gotten a spot kick earlier.
In a tense penalty shootout, James Tavernier, Vaclav Cerny and Tom Lawrence all scored for Rangers while Dusan Tadic, Fred, and Mert Hakan Yandas missed for Fenerbahce, thus securing a 3-2 penalty win for the Scottish side, sealing their passage to the quarterfinals after a tough contest.
With qualification secured, Rangers will continue their quest to lift the Europa League for the first time in their club history when they face off against Athletic Bilbao in the quarterfinals. On the other hand, after a disappointing exit, Fenerbahce will focus on the Turkish Super Lig where they will attempt to mount a late title challenge against league leaders Galatasaray.
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