Rangers prevail 3-2 on penalties after Fenerbahce win 2-0 to level 3-3 on aggregate
Ibrox side will face Athletic Bilbao, who won their second leg 3-1 against 10-man Roma to prevail 4-3 on aggregate
Bookings rule Rangers' Souttar and Diomande out of first leg of quarter-final
Szymanski volleys Fenerbahce into lead on stroke of half time
Szymanski slots second on 74 minutes to level tie and no more goals in extra-time as tie goes to penalties
Tavernier and Czerny fire home for Rangers and, although Egribayat touched Hagi's attempt on to post, Lawrence sets up Rangers' win
Butland saves from Tadic and Fred before Yandas fires over
Rangers v Fenerbahce (agg 3-1) (20:00)
The Fenerbahce fans are here in numbers but Rangers don't want to be intimidated.
Their fans performed their own pre-match march to the ground.
Image source, SNS
Image source, SNSFT: Athletic Bilbao 3-1 Roma (agg 4-3)
There goes the full-time whistle in Bilbao!
The hosts have turned it around in the second leg and, despite a late Roma penalty, hold on to win 4-3 on aggregate.
That means the winner of Rangers v Fenerbahce will play Athletic, with the home leg in either Glasgow or Istanbul.
Athletic Bilbao 3-1 Roma (agg 4-2)
Nico Williams has added a third for Athletic Bilbao to make it 3-0 on the night and 4-2 on the aggregate scoreline.
But the hosts have just given away a penalty and Roma have scored from the spot. It's 4-3 now, just one goal in it, with a minute or two left of stoppage time.
Can Claudio Ranieri's side force it to extra time?
Rangers v Fenerbahce (agg 3-1) (20:00)
Andy Halliday
Former Rangers midfielder on BBC Sportsound
I do fully believe Rangers have to score tonight. I believe they will score tonight, but Fenerbahce are going to cause them problems.
[Barry Ferguson's team talks] are exactly what you'd imagine - full of passion, swear words and aggression, but all for the right reasons.
He'll be emphasising a fast start but want them to be as solid as they were defensively last week.
Image source, PA MediaRangers v Fenerbahce (agg 3-1) (20:00)
Steven Thompson
Former Rangers striker on BBC Radio Scotland
Sterling gives you that wee bit more physicality if you're going to be defending a lot of crosses. He's also very good in one-v-one situations.
I didn't think there would be many changes from last week's performance in Istanbul and that's proven to be the case.
Rangers v Fenerbahce (agg 3-1) (20:00)
Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland at Ibrox
The Fenerbahce goalkeepers have just walked out on to the pitch for their warm-up to an impressive cheer from a sizeable traveling support.
They're looking colourful bedecked in their yellow strips and sounding in good voice so far.
Image source, Getty ImagesRangers v Fenerbahce (3-1 agg) (20:00)
Burak Abatay
BBC Turkish
While the Fenerbahce fans were taking a break for lunch on their journey, a Scottish Rangers fan approached them. After a brief conversation, the fans hugged each other.
They analysed the match in Istanbul. A Turkish fan said: "You were lucky." The Rangers fan replied: "Actually, you were the lucky ones! Two of our goals were disallowed by millimetres due to offside!" No one objected.
The Rangers fan wished his new Fenerbahce friends good luck, saying, "You’ll need it."
A minute or two later, he returned from his car with some Scottish shortbread, which he gifted to his Turkish friends, who were already delighted by the Scottish hospitality. Football is beautiful like this.
Rangers v Fenerbahce (agg 3-1) (20:00)
We're also keeping an eye on Athletic Bilbao against AS Roma, which kicked off earlier. The winner of that one plays the winner of this.
Currently, Bilbao lead 2-0 and, as a result, lead 3-2 on aggregate with only around 15 minutes left.
Rangers v Fenerbahce (agg 3-1) (20:00)
Image source, SNSNo player has been involved in more goals in the Europa League this season than Rangers winger Vaclav Cerny, who has six goals and two assists.
If he scores again in this season's competition, he would equal James Tavernier’s tally of seven in 2021-22 for the most goals by a Rangers player in a campaign of major European competition.
Rangers v Fenerbahce (agg 3-1) (20:00)
Burak Abatay
BBC Turkish
Cemre has big hopes for tonight
Fenerbahce supporters are warming up for Ibrox. A large crowd is gathering in the streets of Glasgow.
Some Fenerbahçe fans I spoke to are hopeful for the evening. One fan, Cemre Soysal, remarked: "We'll bring spring to Glasgow on this cold day."
Rangers v Fenerbahce (agg 3-1) (20:00)
There are three changes to the Fenerbahce side, with former Premier League alumni Edin Dzeko and Dusan Tadic dropping to the bench.
However, former Manchester United midfielder Fred returns from suspension and comes straight into the team.
Bright Osayi-Samuel - a former QPR youngster - also comes in, as does Anderson Talisca.
Caglar Soyuncu, the former Leicester City and Atletico Madrid defender, is the other man to drop out.
Image source, SNSAnderson Talisca comes in for Fenerbahce
Rangers v Fenerbahce (agg 3-1) (20:00)
Barry Ferguson changes two for Rangers and there is a strong suggestion he'll stick with the three-at-the-back that worked so well last week.
Robin Propper is only fit enough for the bench after sustaining a head knock in the first leg, with Leon Balogun replacing him in central defence.
Ridvan Yilmaz also drops to the bench, with Dujon Sterling coming in. He could start at right-back, or could swap with James Tavernier.
Image source, SNSRangers v Fenerbahce (agg 3-1) (20:00)
Rangers: Butland, Sterling, Souttar, Balogun, Tavernier, Barron, Raskin, Diamonde, Jefte, Cerny, Dessers.
Substitutes: Kelly, Yilmaz, Propper, Lawrence, Bajrami, Nsiala, Igamane, Hagi, McCausland, Rice, Curtis, Danilo.
Fenerbahce: Egribayat, Skriniar, Akcicek, Muldur, Amrabat, Osayi-Samuel, Fred, Szymanski, Kostic, Talisca, En-Nesyri.
Substitutes: Livakovic, Cetin, Djiku, Yandas, Dzeko, Tadic, Kahveci, Tosun, Tograk.
Rangers v Fenerbahce (agg 3-1) (20:00)
Merhaba!
It's crunch time for Rangers in Europe, as they host Turkish giants Fenerbahce in the second leg of the Europa League last 16.
With a 3-1 lead, they are in an excellent position, but against a Jose Mourinho-led side, you never know.
Let's have a look at the teams.
Image source, SNS
Mert Hakan Yandas' penalty miss sparked joyous celebrations at Ibrox
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.
Barry Ferguson led the celebrations after the shootout drama
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."
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 5 | 12 | 19 |
| |
| 2 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 19 |
| |
| 3 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 18 |
| |
| 4 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 17 |
| |
| 5 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 10 | 4 | 16 |
| |
| 6 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 15 |
| |
| 7 | Olympiakos Piraeus | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 15 |
|
| 8 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 14 |
| |
| 9 | Bodø / Glimt | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 14 |
|
| 10 | Anderlecht | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 14 |
|
| 11 | FCSB | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 14 |
|
| 12 | Ajax | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 13 |
|
| 13 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 13 |
| |
| 14 | Galatasaray | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 19 | 16 | 3 | 13 |
|
| 15 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 12 |
| |
| 16 | Viktoria Plzeň | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 12 | 1 | 12 |
|
| 17 | Ferencváros | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 12 |
|
| 18 | Porto | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 11 |
|
| 19 | AZ | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 11 |
|
| 20 | Midtjylland | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 11 |
|
| 21 | Union Saint-Gilloise | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 11 |
|
| 22 | PAOK | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 10 |
|
| 23 | Twente | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 9 | -1 | 10 |
|
| 24 | Fenerbahçe | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 11 | -2 | 10 |
|
| 25 | Sporting Braga | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 12 | -3 | 10 |
|
| 26 | Elfsborg | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 14 | -5 | 10 |
|
| 27 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 14 | -3 | 9 |
| |
| 28 | Beşiktaş | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 15 | -5 | 9 |
|
| 29 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 17 | -9 | 6 |
|
| 30 | Slavia Prague | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 11 | -4 | 5 |
|
| 31 | Malmö FF | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 17 | -7 | 5 |
|
| 32 | Rīgas FS | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 13 | -7 | 5 |
|
| 33 | Ludogorets | 8 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 11 | -7 | 4 |
|
| 34 | Dynamo Kyiv | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 18 | -13 | 4 |
|
| 35 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 16 | -9 | 3 |
| |
| 36 | Qarabağ | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 20 | -14 | 3 |
|
Manager: Barry Ferguson
Formation: 3 - 4 - 2 - 1
Manager: José Mourinho
Formation: 3 - 4 - 2 - 1
Manager: Barry Ferguson
Formation: 3 - 4 - 2 - 1
Manager: José Mourinho
Formation: 3 - 4 - 2 - 1
UEFA Europa League
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All competitions
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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.
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.
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).
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.
