Cerny blasts Rangers double, Ferguson lands blow on master Mourinho and Dessers endures VAR drama - 5 talking points
Rangers secured a stunning victory over Fenerbahce to put one foot in the Europa League quarter-finals.
Barry Ferguson enjoyed the night of his life as interim gaffer by getting one over on The Special One, Jose Mourinho in Istanbul. A Vaclav Cerny double and Cyriel Dessers’ strike gave Gers an incredible 3-1 first-leg lead ahead of the return at Ibrox next week.
And a brilliant result for Ferguson’s side could have been even better if another TWO Dessers goals hadn’t been ruled out for offside. Mourinho was left licking his wounds as his team suffered their first defeat in 18 games to the Scots on their own patch. And if Rangers can see out the tie in Glasgow, they can gear up for a last eight tie against Roma or Athletic Bilbao.
Here's five talking points:
Jekyll & Hyde Gers
In future football studies, this Rangers team will probably be the subject of a boffin’s dissertation. But the top brains in the game would struggle to work out how these players can look so ropey in Scotland - but produce top level performances in Europe.
The contrast is getting ridiculous now and so difficult to fathom. Against Motherwell at the weekend, Ferguson’s side looked like a bag of nerves for 90 minutes and were outplayed by the Steelmen on their own ground.
They were ragged and lethargic, just like they were in similar defeatist St Mirren and Queen’s Park recently. So how the hell can the same squad turn up in Turkey at one of football’s cauldrons and see off Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce?
Of course, the hipsters will talk about low blocks and the fact they get more space to play in the Europa League. But it’s about more than that. On the ball, they played with a composure that’s been missing domestically.
And off it, there was an urgency and intensity in Istanbul that they simply don’t produce at home. That’s why, as much as Ferguson will be delighted with this result and display - he’ll be scratching his head as to why they can’t do it in every game.
Apprentice beats the master
All eyes were on Ferguson for this tie, especially going toe-to-toe with a legendary coach like Mourinho in such a hostile environment - and in such a huge game.
But from the first whistle, you could tell the former Rangers skipper absolutely loved it on the touchline. He was animated from kick-off, constantly trying to cajole his side and get them back into their shape when they didn’t have the ball.
And he was vocal with tactical instructions whenever there was a break in play.
Before the match, he enjoyed a warm embrace with Mourinho in the technical area, sharing a few words with the Portuguese icon.
But once the action started, they were arch enemies. And if Gers fans want a gaffer with fire in his belly, they only need to look at their old captain just before half-time. When a Fenerbahce coach was claiming for a handball, Ferguson told him to sit down and the row was still going in the tunnel.
Later, with Rangers in front, a home fan tried to hit with an object which narrowly missed. But it couldn’t spoil his night. He enjoyed many great triumphs as a player for the club but this one as a gaffer will be right up there.
Raising the Bar
Ferguson had to do something different with his team selection after the woeful weekend defeat to Motherwell. And the stand-out selection in Istanbul was midfielder Connor Barron who was drafted in from the cold to play a vital role.
Ferguson was expected to shore up his engine room - but you felt it might be Dujon Sterling who’d get the nod beside Nico Raskin. Barron’s last game was in the Europa League against Manchester United where he struggled to make an impact before getting injured.
So it was a huge vote of confidence from the interim boss for the ex-Aberdeen man - and he didn’t let Ferguson down. Elsewhere, eyebrows were raised at Robin Propper’s inclusion with Leon Balogun fit again, especially in a back FIVE with James Tavernier and John Souttar.
That meant Ridvan Yilmaz returning to Turkey in his unfamiliar right-back slot, with Cerny and Mo Diomande being asked to support Dessers up top. That worked a treat with the Czech slotting home the second goal to become just the third Rangers player this century to score five European goals in a season.
Nice one Cyriel
He remains a Rangers enigma but you just can’t argue with what Cyriel Dessers gave to this Rangers side in Istanbul.
The big Nigerian striker was given the nod ahead of young Hamza Igamane to lead the line in Europe, which might have seemed unthinkable a couple of months ago.
But as much as Dessers might frustrate the life out of some Rangers fans, he IS capable of displays like this. He’s proved it before at places like Real Betis where he scored a wonder goal.
And he was at it again here last night against Fenerbahce with a fantastic performance up front.
In an incredible first 45 minutes, Dessers opened the scoring early by latching on to a loose ball in the box, rounding the keeper and squeezing it home from an acute angle.
If that was good, his assist for Vaclav Cerny’s goal was even better. Dessers slid a brilliant ball back to Cerny for an outrageous 1-2 before the winger buried it for 2-1. And unbelievably, the centre-forward came within inches of getting a hat-trick in the second half when he had two goals narrowly ruled out for offside.
From Fife to Fener
Rangers haven’t enjoyed the best of seasons so far but it might be worth remembering where they were a decade ago.
It was 10 years ago to the day that Dave King, Paul Murray and John Gilligan swept into Ibrox and took over the club.
It was a monumental moment in their history after a dire period which saw them have to climb their way back to Scottish football’s top flight.
Their arrival signalled the start of a comeback which would eventually lead to them winning the title again under Steven Gerrard in 2021.
The first opposition for the new regime was Cowdenbeath so it’s fair to say Gers have come a long way since then - as they took on Mourinho’s side here in the last-16 of the Europa League.
They might be enduring a tough spell now, especially domestically with Celtic dominating. But they proved yet again here that they can compete in Europe and still have a chance to reach the quarter-finals next week at Ibrox.
This was what King, Murray and Gilligan would have wanted back then - Rangers mixing it again with the big boys of the continent. They did that and more against Fenerbahce so when you think where they were 10 years ago, it’s not all bad.
