Rangers delivered a stunning Europa League performance to secure a 3-1 victory over Fenerbahce at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, lighting up the night in Istanbul with a display of resilience and attacking quality.
Before kick-off, interim Ibrox boss Barry Ferguson shared a warm embrace with Jose Mourinho, but by the final whistle, the legendary Portuguese coach was left frustrated as his side struggled to contain a dynamic Rangers outfit.
The Scottish side made an explosive start, capitalizing on a defensive lapse from the hosts. Cyriel Dessers reacted quickest to a misplaced pass, rounding the goalkeeper before rolling the ball toward the empty net.
Former Leicester City defender Caglar Soyuncu desperately tried to clear off the line, but the referee’s goal-line technology confirmed the ball had crossed, giving Rangers a sixth-minute lead.
Soyuncu’s evening went from bad to worse when an injury forced him off early. However, his replacement, Alexander Djiku, made an immediate impact, equalizing with a brilliantly improvised finish from a Sebastian Szymanski corner, hooking the ball past Jack Butland to restore parity.
But that was as good as it got for the home side. Rangers regained control just before the break, as Vaclav Cerny finished off a slick attacking move, latching onto a clever assist from Dessers to restore their advantage.
With Fenerbahce pushing for a second equalizer, Rangers capitalized on a counter-attack, and Cerny was once again the man in the right place, calmly slotting home with nine minutes to play.
Dessers had two goals ruled out for marginal offside calls around the hour mark, but Rangers refused to let that setback derail them, showing composure to see out a memorable win.
With the return leg at Ibrox next Thursday, Rangers now have a fantastic opportunity to progress to the quarter-finals, where a clash with either Roma or Athletic Bilbao, hosts of the final, awaits.
