Jack Butland has had his critics over the course of the campaign. When Rangers needed him most, though, he stepped to the fore and used that big right hand of his to snatch an unforgettable victory from the jaws of defeat.
With two goals from Pole Sebastian Szymanski having eaten away Rangers’ advantage from the first leg in Istanbul and extra-time having failed to find a winner, we were deep in the trenches of a penalty shoot-out.
Butland had kicked it off by holding his position and getting his body in the way of a Dusan Tadic effort. However, with James Tavernier and Vaclav Cerny having scored their efforts and the tie level at 2-2, sub Ianis Hagi saw his weak attempt pushed onto the post by Irfan Can Egribiyat.
That’s when Butland produced the magic that saw him touted for an England recall last term. Visiting captain Fred smashed a thunderbolt to his right, but the 32-year-old dived low, stuck that right hand out and changed everything.
Within minutes, Tom Lawrence had made it 3-2 and Mert Hakan Yandas had skied his attempt miles over the bar to put Rangers through to the last eight of the Europa League and into a mouthwatering showdown with Athletic Bilbao.
For Andrew Cavenagh, seated in the directors’ box just in front of Ibrox legend Brian Laudrup, there were so many signs here of what Rangers might be. If the outlandish drama of this incredible night in front of a full house — in which the home side looked for so long like paying the price for a lack of quality in the forward areas and a worrying capacity to cough up cheap goals — doesn’t convince him he is doing the right thing in heading a US takeover, nothing will.
Yes, unwanted history was made by a side losing four in a row at home for the first time in the club’s history, but that didn’t put any kind of dampener on the jubilant scenes at time-up.
This was a game Rangers had under control for the first half-hour. Then, they lost their way completely before rallying in extra-time. It was a rollercoaster of the highest order. And in the end, despite everything, such a night to remember.
Early doors, Fenerbahce were out to stamp their influence on proceedings, enjoying their fair share of the ball against a home side utilising the same 5-4-1 — or 5-2-2-1 or 3-4-2-1 if you want to be fancy — that served them so well in the first leg.
Nicolas Raskin was having none of it, though. Snapping into tackles, winning possession, the Belgian was intrinsic to Rangers getting a foothold in the game. With that platform to open up a little and play now safely constructed, the baton was passed on to Cerny.
The Czech internationalist has the ability to come alive on nights like this and represented Rangers’ biggest threat throughout. On 12 minutes, a pass from Mohamed Diomande sent Jefte up the left and his low cross set up a great opportunity. Cerny miskicked at the crucial moment, though.
Shortly afterwards, the on-loan Wolfsburg man had a shot from distance saved by visiting goalkeeper Egribiyat and came close again midway through the opening 45 when cutting in from the right and flashing a low drive into the side netting.
So close was the effort that much of the stadium rose amid a thunderous cheer, believing the ball had gone the right side of the post. Rangers had put themselves in a strong position.
They had the game under control, for sure. True, they hadn’t involved their centre-forward Cyriel Dessers at all and had been guilty of overplaying it a little in the final third, but Fenerbahce had barely created a chance.
Until the 35th minute. Until the pendulum slowly began to swing the other way.
Alarm bells sounded when an ambitious diagonal ball from Sofyan Amrabat looped over the head of Leon Balogun and made its way to Youssef En-Nesyri in behind.
The young Moroccan sent his first-time effort miles wide, but it was a very definite opening and the first real sign this game was starting to squirm out of Rangers’ grasp.
In fairness, interim manager Barry Ferguson had been like a cat on a hot tin roof from the start, demanding the crowd set the fire in the stands he had wanted pre-match, urging his players on, showing his emotions with every decision for or against.
In the other technical area, Mourinho cut a very different figure. Dressed in a combo of grey overcoat, grey scarf, grey trousers and grey shoes, he looked like something out of a ‘70s TV show. A baddie from Sapphire and Steel, perhaps. Or Randall and Hopkirk Deceased.
When the breakthrough finally came in the dying seconds of regulation time in the opening period, you almost expected him to bring out a furry white cat to stroke.
The goal was delivered through a marvellous finish by Szymanski, no doubt. However, it was cheaply conceded from a Rangers side that had been showing admirable levels of focus and intensity until then.
First up, Dujon Sterling, utilised at right wing-back, should have done better in stopping Filip Kostic putting a cross in from the flank.
When it came over, James Tavernier appeared to misjudge the flight and let it go over his head – leaving Szymanski to adjust his shape and send an imperious first-time volley across Butland and into the top corner.
The home crowd stayed ‘onside’, as captain Tavernier had wanted, but it does not take much for Ibrox to become an anxious place these days. You could sense the nerves. Mourinho could too. He began to stray out of his technical area as the second half developed, bellowing at his players, pulling up the fourth official. Smelling blood.
Talisca sending a free header just wide from a Kostic cross at the back post certainly told Ferguson he had to do something to try to change the flow of the game.
With Ridvan Yilmaz already on for Sterling, Igamane replaced the ineffective Dessers midway through the second 45 with Nedim Bajrami also coming on for Diomande.
For a short while, it brought a response. Igamane forced a low save from Egriyibat, Tavernier flashed a shot over, the noise levels cranked up a notch. And then it all fell silent — other than in that corner of yellow-and-blue in the far corner of the ground.
With 73 minutes on the clock, Mert Muldur surged up the left, Jefte missed the tackle and the cutback from the byeline was pounced upon by Szymanski. His first-time poke towards goal took Butland out of play and went in off Tavernier on the line.
And deep in stoppage-time, it would have been over were it not for the intervention of the Rangers skipper. With the home side having coughed up possession again, En-Nesyri was given a clear shot at goal from inside the area at the end of a piercing passing move.
Had Tavernier not stuck his foot in for a vital, last-gasp touch as the striker pulled the trigger, it would surely have been game over.
As it was, Rangers rallied to some degree in the first half of extra-time, with Cerny forcing a particularly good save from Egriyibat. In the second period, Tavernier then asked questions of the Fenerbahce No 1 with a testing free-kick after substitute Hagi, on for Jefte, had been pulled down by Alexander Djiku.
Mourinho was yellow-carded by Norwegian referee Espen Eskas with three minutes left after complaining over what looked a decent penalty claim for a Raskin trip on sub Mert Hakan Yandas.
His team would get five cracks from the spot in the end to finish the job, though. And they couldn’t. Rangers go marching on. Somehow.
cumknostyz
7
I feel for The Special One, he never luck in penalty shootout for once.......but you remain the best of all