Rangers reach Europa League quarter-finals after penalty shoot-out win over Fenerbahce

Rangers have reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League after a dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Fenerbahce at Ibrox.

A double from Sebastian Szymanski had given the Turkish side a 2-0 win on the night and made it 3-3 on aggregate but Jack Butland’s heroics saw Rangers win the shoot-out and progress to face Athletic Bilbao.

The huge celebrations after the final spot-kick came after a tense night where Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce side had made good on their promise to put in a hugely improved performance from their 3-1 defeat in Istanbul the week before.

Having seen his side perform so well in Turkey, Barry Ferguson had opted for a similar shape but with Dujon Sterling coming in at right wing-back and Leon Balogun restored to the centre of defence in the hope of shutting out the Turkish side’s creative attackers.

After a hard-fought first half where both sides had chances, Fenerbahce took the lead on the night and cut the deficit in the tie just before half-time.

Filip Kostic’s cross was met with a spectacular volley from Sebastian Szymanski, the ball finding the top corner with Jack Butland beaten.

With the Turkish visitors needing just one more goal to level the tie, Rangers had to balance a wish to defend their lead against a desire to get a goal that might put the tie beyond Fenerbahce’s reach.

The home side had their chances, with Nedim Bajrami and Hamza Igamane both having opportunities shortly after coming off the bench, But it was Fenerbahce who were next to find the net.

After a promising attack, the ball was cut back from the bye-line and Szymanski was the man who got a decisive touch, hitting a low shot with the edge of his foot that slotted past Butland and took a nick off James Tavernier to cross the line and make it 2-0 for the Turkish side on the night, 3-3 on aggregate.

Jose Mourinho then added to the attacking momentum of his side by introducing Edin Dzeko and Dusan Tadic for Bright Osayi-Samuel and Anderson Talisca and saw his side begin to dominate possession as they chased a winner.

Tadic went close with a curling shot that whistled past the post and with just a few minutes left until full-time substitute Ianis Hagi was inches away from meeting a cross into the box that could have seen Rangers land a knockout blow.

In the third minute of injury time, Youssef En Nesyri had only Butland to beat, but a last-ditch intervention from Tavernier forced the Fenerbahce striker to fire his shot over the bar. Even after that, Ridvan Yilmaz tried his luck with a long-range effort that was beaten away.

Extra time was needed to separate the sides.

The game remained open after the restart, with the best chance of the first period of extra time coming to Vaclav Cerny , who had been a threat all evening. He cut in from the right and hit a dipping shot that forced Irfan Can Egribayat into a terrific save to tip over the bar. Fenerbahce had their own golden opportunity when a Kostic cutback found no takers when Butland was stranded, and Rangers scrambled clear.

With just 15 minutes left, the score remained locked at 3-3 on aggregate.

Rangers were given a set-piece chance early in the second half of extra time and Tavernier’s shot cleared the wall and curled towards the near post but Egribayat was equal to it.

With two minutes left to play, Butland made a strong stop to block a Tadic volley but the flag was already up for offside.

As the clock ticked down, the tension rose in Ibrox and the addition of three additional minutes saw Fenerbahce make a final push for a winner. Hearts were in mouths when Tavernier made a vital tackle on Kostic in the box but the referee signalled no penalty.

The decision only delayed the wait to see a spot-kick as the final whistle went and left the tie to be settled from 12 yards.

Rangers had the upper hand from the first kick. Tadic saw his kick saved by Butland’s leg. Tavernier stepped up first for the hosts and netted his penalty with his usual accuracy.

Edin Dzeko was up next for Fenerbahce and he made no mistake, firing his shot past the Rangers keeper. Cerny was up next, having been Rangers liveliest player through the majority of the 120 minutes and he completed his shift by lashing his penalty into the back of the net.

Alexander Djiku scored in the first leg and coolly sent Butland the wrong way to keep Fenerbahce in the shoot-out. That kept the pressure on Hagi as he stepped up for Rangers’ third. The Istanbul-born attacker put his shot to the keeper’s left, and Egribayat got down to push the shot onto the post and out.

With the score level, Brazilian midfielder Fred stepped up and placed his penalty to Butland’s right and the Englishman pulled off a brilliant save to give Rangers a chance to restore their advantage. Tom Lawrence went for power with his penalty and made it 3-2.

Mert Hakan Yandas had to score to keep Fenerbahce in it and he blazed his attempt over.

Rangers were through after a draining and emotional night and can now look forward to a quarter-final against Athletic Bilbao.