Jack Butland had his critics in the course of the campaign. However, when Rangers needed him the most, he stepped forward and used that big right hand of his to take an unforgettable victory of the jaws of the defeat.
With two goals from pole Sebastian Szymanski who had given away the benefit of Rangers of the first stage in Istanbul and could have failed extra time to find a winner, we were deep in the trenches of a penalty shoot-out.
Butland had kicked it off by holding his position and putting his body in the way of a Dusan Tadic effort. However, James Tavernier and Vaclav Cerny scored their efforts and the same level on 2-2, sub Iis Hagi saw his weak attempt pushed by Irfan Egribiyat.
That is when Butland produced the magic that he saw promoted for an England return to the previous period. A visit to Captain Fred hit a lightning bolt on his right side, but the 32-year-old dived low, protruded that right hand and changed everything.
Within a few minutes, Tom Lawrence had made it 3-2 and Mert Hakan Yandas had made his attempt for miles over the bar to spend Rangers to the last eight of the Europa League and in a wonderful confrontation with Athletic Bilbao.
For Andrew Cavenagh, sitting in the director's box just before Ibrox -legend Brian Laudrup, there were so many signs of what Rangers could be here. If the bizarre drama of this incredible night for a full house – in which the home team sought for as long as paying the price for a lack of quality in the forward areas and a worrying capacity to cough up cheap goals – does not convince him to do the right one to lead an American takeover, nothing will do that.
Yes, unwanted history was written by a party that lost four in a row for the first time in the history of the club, but that didn't put any damper on the jubilant scenes on time-up.
This was a game that Rangers had under control during the first half hour. Then they completely lost the road before gathering in extra time. It was a roller coaster of the highest order. And ultimately, despite everything, such a night to remember.
Early doors, Fenerbahce, was out to stamp their influence on the procedure, enjoy their honest part of the ball against a home team with the same 5-4-1 or 5-2-2-1 or 3-4-2-1 if you want to feel that they were so good in the first leg.
Nicolas Raskin, however, had nothing of it. The Belgian in crossing, winning possession, was intrinsic that Ranger's foothold in the game. With that platform to open a little and now play safely, the baton was passed on to Cerny.
The Czech internationalist has the opportunity to come to life at the moment and represented the greatest threat of Rangers everywhere. At 12 minutes a pass from Mohamed Diomande Jefte sent the left and his low cross set a great chance. Cerny, however, was wrong at the crucial moment.
Shortly thereafter, the on-Loan Wolfsburg-Man had saved a shot from a distance by visiting goalkeeper Egribiyat and halfway through the opening 45 came close to cutting right and a low ride flashed to the side network.
The effort was so close that much of the stadium came to the midst of a thunderous cheers, in the conviction that the ball had gone the right side of the post. Rangers had brought himself into a strong position.
They certainly had the game under control. Admittedly, they had not involved their Center-Forward Cyriel Dessers at all and were guilty of the overscellation a bit in the last third part, but Fenerbahce had hardly created a chance.
Until the 35th minute. Until the pendulum slowly started to swing the other way.
Alarm bells then sounded an ambitious diagonal ball from Sofyan Amrabat over the head of Leon Balogun and ran his way to Youssef En-Nesyri.
The young Moroccan sent his first attempt miles wide, but it was a very clear opening and the first real sign that this game started to wriggle out of the grip of Rangers.
In all honesty, interim manager Barry Ferguson had been as a cat on a hot tin roof from the start, and demanded that the crowd put the fire in the stands that he had wanted before the game, encouraging his players, his emotions with every decision for or against.
Mourinho cut a completely different figure in the other technical area. Dressed in a combination of gray overcoat, gray scarf, gray pants and gray shoes, he looked like something from a TV program from the 70s. A bad guy from Sapphire and Steel, maybe. Or Randall and Hopkirk died.
When the breakthrough finally entered the dying seconds of the regulation time in the opening period, you almost expected that he would bring out a hairy white cat.
The goal was undoubtedly delivered by a beautiful finish from Szymanski. However, it was cheap admitted to a Rangers side that until then exhibited admirable levels of focus and intensity.
Firstly, Dujon Sterling, used at the right wing, should have done better to stop Filip Kostic in a cross from the flank.
When it happened, James Tavernier seemed to be wrongly conquered the flight and leaving Szymanski over his head to adjust his shape and send an Imperious First-time volley over Butland and in the upper corner.
The home crowd remained 'Onside', as Captain Tavernier had wanted, but it is not necessary for Ibrox to become a fearful place nowadays. You could feel the nerves. Mourinho could do that too. He started to deviate his technical area while the second half developed, roared to his players and pulled up the fourth official. Bleeding blood.
Talisca sent a free header just wide from a costly cross to the back post, Ferguson for sure that he had to do something to try to change the flow of the game.
With Ridvan Yilmaz Already for Sterling, Igamane replaced the ineffective dessers halfway through the second 45 with Nedim Bajrami who also came for Diomande.
For a short time it brought a response. Igamane forced a low salvation from Egriyibat, Tavernier flashed a shot, the noise levels were notched. And then it all fell silent than in that corner of yellow and blue in the far corner of the ground.
With 73 minutes on the clock, Mert Muldur rose on the left, Jefte missed the tackle and the cutback of the Byeline was performed by Szymanski. His first poke in the direction of Doel took butland from the game and went to the line of Tavernier on the line.
And deep in stopping it would have been over if it was not before the intervention of the Rangers-Schipper. Because the home team again had possession, En-Nesyri got a clear shot on goal from the area at the end of a penetrating passing movement.
If Tavernier had not put his foot for a vital, last Gasp touch when the striker persuaded the tractor, it would certainly have been a game.
As it was, Rangers gathered to a certain extent in the first half of extra time, with Cerny forced a particularly good salvation from Egriyibat. In the second period, Tavernier then asked questions from Fenerbahce no. 1 with a test free kick after replacement Hagi, for Jefte, had been withdrawn by Alexander Djiku.
Mourinho was cooled yellow by the Norwegian referee Espen Eskas with three minutes to complain about what looked a decent fine for a Raskin trip on Sub Mert Hakan Yandas.
His team would eventually get five cracks from the place to end the job. And they couldn't. Rangers will continue to march. Somehow.
Comments