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| 3–3 on aggregate; Rangers won 3–2 on penalties. BBC Report UEFA Report | |||||||
| Event | 2024–25 UEFA Europa League | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Thursday, 13 March 2025 | ||||||
| Venue | Rugby Park, Glasgow | ||||||
| Referee | Espen Eskås (Norway) | ||||||
| Attendance | 50,061 | ||||||
| Weather | °C ( °F) | ||||||
← Rangers - Fenerbahçe Fenerbahçe - Rangers Rangers - Celtic Fenerbahçe - Samsunspor → | |||||||
Rangers v Fenerbahçe was a match which took place at the Rugby Park on Thursday 13 March 2025.
Preview[]
Rangers must "stand tall" against a "hurting" Fenerbahce at an expectant Ibrox to make sure of Europa League progress, says interim manager Barry Ferguson.
The Scottish Premiership side hold a 3-1 lead after a terrific display against Jose Mourinho's side in Istanbul but have lost three in a row at home to domestic opposition.
The winners will go on to a quarter-final showdown with either Roma or Athletic Bilbao.
"I would be an idiot if I thought the tie was over and done with," said former club captain Ferguson. "It will be a tough, tough game.
"I expect Fenerbahce to come for us. We are prepared for that.
"We have to have a different mindset at Ibrox. That's been a big issue at times this season. That's something I'm tasked with trying to change. The boys are taking everything we are giving them on board. From what I've seen it's going well."
Ferguson made 82 European appearances for Rangers and led the team for the 2008 Uefa Cup final defeat by Zenit St Petersburg.
"See if you can get this place rocking, it's a proper place to play football," he said of Ibrox. "Some of these guys have played in European nights here and if you go out with the right attitude there's no better place.
"We need to stand tall, go head-to-head with Fenerbahce. We need to light that fire in the stands.
"I can't wait. You have to be excited about this and embrace the challenge. My players are ready for it.
"That's the pressure and you have to handle it at Rangers. That's something that the squad will admit they've not handled too well at times but at other times they have handled the pressure really well. We're not thinking about who is favourites.
"What an opportunity to get into the last eight. We have to be respectful though. We're coming up against a very good team with players who can really hurt you and a manager who is one of the best ever."
Team News[]
Rangers defender Robin Propper is back in training after being withdrawn due to a painful collision with his own goalkeeper Jack Butland in the first leg.
Meanwhile, Ferguson talked of "one or two tweaks", saying: "I believe any game in Europe or domestically you have to have a flexibility and that's one thing I don't think this team has had."
The visitors are without injured centre-half Caglar Soyuncu and winger Allan Saint-Maximin has not travelled.
Former Manchester United midfielder Fred, Ismail Yuksek and Bright Osayi-Samuel return to the squad after missing the first leg.
Croatia international Dominik Livakovic could replace Irfan Can after the goalkeeper's uncertain display last week.
Match facts[]
Head-to-head[]
- Rangers come into the second leg with a 3-1 aggregate lead – they’ve progressed from 24 of their previous 25 major European ties when leading by 2+ goals from the first leg, going out to Borussia Dortmund in the last 32 of the 1999-00 UEFA Cup in the other (2-2 on aggregate, lost on pens).
Rangers[]
- Rangers are unbeaten in their five home matches against Turkish sides in European competition (W3 D2), conceding only one goal in those five games in a 2-1 win over Galatasaray in October 2020.
- Rangers have lost just two of their last 14 home games in the UEFA Europa League (W9 D3), though did lose their last game in the knockout stages in March 2024 against Benfica 1-0.
- No player has been involved in more goals in the UEFA Europa League this season than Rangers’ Václav Cerny (8 – 6 goals, 2 assists), with his next goal in this season’s competition equalling James Tavernier’s tally of seven in 2021-22 for the most goals by a Rangers player in a campaign of major European competition.
Fenerbahçe[]
- Fenerbahçe have won only one of their last 11 knockout stage away games in major European competition (D3 L7), conceding 2+ goals in seven of those games, including five of the last six.
Match Report[]
Jack Butland's penalty shootout heroics earned Rangers a place in the Europa League quarter-finals after Fenerbahce overturned a 3-1 first-leg deficit at Ibrox.
The home goalkeeper saved from Dusan Tadic and Fred before Mert Hakan Yandas skied his effort over the bar, sparking jubilant scenes both on the pitch and in the stands.
Barry Ferguson's side brought a two-goal lead back to Glasgow after a magnificent performance last week in Istanbul, but they were unable to replicate those levels as their recent struggles in front of their own fans continued.
Goals from Poland midfielder Sebastian Szymanski either side of half-time brought the visitors level on aggregate and Jose Mourinho's side pushed for a winner in normal time.
Tadic curled a shot just wide and Youssef En-Nesyri was denied only by a last-ditch James Tavernier tackle in the dying embers of normal time.
Vaclav Cerny was Rangers' main threat throughout, taking defenders on at will and forcing several saves from visiting goalkeeper Irfan Can Egribayat.
However, neither side could find a decisive goal before the 90 minutes were up and, although Cerny and Tavernier went close for Rangers in extra time, spot kicks were needed to decide the tie.
Tavernier, Cerny and Tom Lawrence converted for the hosts in the shootout, setting up a meeting with Athletic Bilbao in the last eight after the Spanish outfit overcame Roma.
It is the first time Rangers have lost four successive home matches in their history, but the overriding emotion was that of joy and relief at Ibrox after Ferguson's players held their nerve.
In a season of domestic disappointment, European competition has been the one positive for Rangers and that continued on a night of high drama at Ibrox.
The outpouring of joy that met Yandas' miss came after 120 minutes of nerves, frustration and fear as fans were put through an emotional wringer.
Rangers started well on the night, with Cerny's directness causing plenty of issues for the Fenerbahce backline, but when Szymanski swept home Filip Kostic's cross on the volley, it swung the momentum towards the visitors.
They then dominated the second half and, when Szymanski stabbed in his second on 73 minutes, there only looked like one winner.
Mourinho's side were incensed by a decision in extra-time to not award a penalty after Nicolas Raskin appeared to trip Yandas in the box. Referee Espen Eskas waved play on and VAR opted not to intervene.
Rangers stood tall defensively and rode their luck at times to take the tie to penalties and then showed character to regroup and win the shootout.
Ferguson has issues to fix, not least the dismal recent home form, but he appears to have restored a sense of togetherness and belief at the club, both among the players and fans.
He will be without both Mohamed Diomande and John Souttar for the first leg against Bilbao - they were both booked and pick up one-match suspensions as a result.
Before that though, attentions turn to Sunday's Old Firm derby against the Scottish Premiership leaders at Celtic Park, where some weary bodies will have to go again.
Rangers interim head coach Barry Ferguson on TNT Sports: "They showed character in abundance and we have to do that going forward. Overall, I'm just delighted to be into the quarters.
"One thing I think has been missing is character. One thing the players are doing is they're listening. We've still got to work at a lot of things, but that tonight is what my teams are built on.
"When you play against really good teams, they're going to hurt you in stages and you have to let them have the ball. I'm proud of the players and I'm just delighted for the club as whole."
Fenerbache head coach Jose Mourinho on TNT Sports: "We deserved to win over 90 minutes, we deserved to win after 120 minutes.
"In the first match, I was honest and I had enough to say we made mistakes, we deserved to lose, but in this match, I also have to be honest and say we were the best team by far.
"We did everything to win. The ref and the VAR decided that we should go to penalties. I'm sad for my boys because it was the dream to go through, but I'm proud of them."
Match[]
Details[]
| 13 March 2025 20:00 (20:00 UTC+0) |
 Rangers
|
0–2 (a.e.t.) |
Fenerbahçe 
|
Rugby Park, Glasgow Referee: Espen Eskås (Norway) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBC Report UEFA Report |
Szymański  45', 73'
| |||
| Penalties | ||||
Tavernier  Černý Hagi  Lawrance
|
3–2 | Tadić Džeko Djiku Fred Yandaş
|
          Rangers
|
    Fenerbahçe
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Match Stats[]
| Overall | Rangers | Fenerbahçe |
|---|---|---|
| Goals scored | 0 | 2 |
| Total shots | 23 | 21 |
| Shots on target | 9 | 3 |
| Ball possession | 40% | 60% |
| Corner kicks | 5 | 1 |
| Fouls committed | 19 | 10 |
See also[]
External links[]
| Fenerbahçe v Rangers |
| Champions League |
| 2024–25 · 2024–25 |