The Rangers players stood like giants in Fenerbahce’s fiery Istanbul amphitheatre to record one of the great Scottish football results on Europa League duties.
Rangers are certainly racking up famous results on the Europa League stage, with Fenerbahce the latest to experience the sharp end of the Ibrox side’s sword in the competition.
Rangers were good value against Fenerbahce, winning 3-1 and giving the club a significant edge going into next week’s home game at Ibrox.
Barry Ferguson is well aware that the tie is still very much alive, and Rangers must replicate their achievement against the Turks in a week’s time.
Jose Mourinho is also focused on Europa League progress.
However, with one foot in the Europa League quarterfinals, Rangers fans are already daydreaming.
And following the latest round of European matchups, they may be about to see the pendulum of advantage swing back in their favor.
Rangers’ Europa League rivals clash in Rome.
If Rangers beat Fenerbahce in the Europa League Round of 16, they will face the winners of either AS Roma or Athletic Bilbao.
If Rangers can hold steady against Fenerbahce, the Italian giants or this season’s hosts (the final will be contested at Athletic’s Estadio de San Mames in May) will be waiting.
So the Gers have a strong stake in the outcome of this match, as AS Roma gave Athletic a late bloody nose in Rome, giving Spain an advantage.
Inaki Williams gave the La Liga team the lead on the road following a goalless first half, nodding home a corner five minutes into the second period.
But the lead was not going to last.
Angelino, a Spanish left-back who was part of the RB Leipzig squad that was defeated by Rangers on the way to Seville, scored an equaliser off the foot of the post minutes later.
The tide swung even further in the Italians’ favor when Yeray Alvarez was given a second yellow card for dragging down Eldor Shomurodov.
And it was the Uzbek forward who made the difference with the final kick of the ball, finding space in a crowded area to curl it in.
AS Roma’s victory provides Rangers a Europa League lead.
While Athletic have an added incentive to go the distance this season because they are hosting the Europa League Final, Rangers fans should root for AS Roma in Spain next week.
The winner of Rangers’ Europa League Quarter Final match against Fenerbahce was expected to be at a disadvantage in the final eight after coming out second in the draw.
That’s because Rangers or Fenerbahce are slated to play the opening leg of the tie at home, with the return match taking place away in either Rome or Bilbao.
However, because Roma’s rivals Lazio have also advanced to the Round of 16, with the Rome giants upsetting Viktoria Plzen 2-1 on the road in the first leg, things become a little more tricky.
As explained by Scotland’s Coefficient, UEFA rules prohibit two home clubs from competing on the same night in the same city.
Article 4.2.2 of UEFA states: “If there is a clash in the second leg of these rounds between the home matches of two teams in the same competitions (i.e. both in UEL or both in UECL) which cannot be played on the same day, the team with the lower ranking tin the league phase of the two teams concerned will be reversed.”
Because Lazio (1st) finished higher than AS Roma (15th) in the Europa League group stages, Roma’s quarterfinals would be reversed if both teams advanced to the last eight.
This effectively means that Rangers would play the first leg in Rome and the second leg in Glasgow if the Gers, AS Roma, and Lazio advance.
Given Ibrox’s long-standing dominance in the Europa League, this should not be underestimated.
