Rangers have put in one of the all-time top European performances from a Scottish club to take a 3-1 Europa League lead over Fenerbahce to Ibrox.
The Ibrox side are certainly experiencing their toils domestically with Barry Ferguson in interim charge of this young Rangers squad following the sacking of Philippe Clement.
But on Europa League duties at least, the Rangers team have picked up where they left off with a monumental showing in Istanbul.
Cyriel Dessers opened the scoring in the game before Alexander Djiku’s volley equalised for Fenerbahce.
But two goals from Vaclav Cerny either side of half-time secured a legendary 3-1 win which might’ve been even more had Cyriel Dessers’ two offside goals been allowed to stand.
Here are five things we learned as Rangers become heroes in Istanbul.
Barry Ferguson tactics wrong-foot Jose Mourinho
Ally McCoist suggested that Barry Ferguson had hinted at a tactical change before the match and so it proved as Rangers changed shape v Fenerbahce.
The interim Rangers manager set up with an unconventional 5-3-2 formation which appeared to catch Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho on the wrong foot.
Having three at the back allowed Rangers to have some real composure on the ball with James Tavernier, John Souttar and Robin Propper impressing in the early stages.
The set-up allowed Jefte and Ridvan Yilmaz to get forward in a 3-5-2 when the team had the ball and really gave Rangers a lot of joy on the night.
With Rangers starting with a midfield trio of Nicolas Raskin, Connor Barron and Mohamed Diomande, there were also plenty of legs in the middle of the park ready to pick up spaces and play forward.
Cyriel Dessers – who we’ll come to in a minute – would then put in a legendary shift as the team’s focal point with Vaclav Cerny acting as a playmaker, ball-carrier and goalscorer.
Barry Ferguson and his Rangers backroom staff got the tactics spot on but the players deserve huge credit for going on to execute the gameplan.
Cyriel Dessers Rangers’ number nine
The decision over who would lead the line for Rangers in Turkey was a crucial one for Barry Ferguson to make.
Hamza Igamane was compared to Fenerbahce striker Youssef En-Nesyri heading into the match and with another Moroccan international in Sofyan Amrabat involved for the Turks, might’ve been expecting to play in Istanbul.
But Barry Ferguson threw his support behind Cyriel Dessers and what a decision it turned out to be.
The Nigerian hitman put in one of his most iconic performances in a Rangers jersey and led the Ibrox frontline with aggression, quality and real character.
Opening the scoring in the 6th minute by rounding the goalkeeper and, narrowly, slipping the ball over the line, it set to the tone for a tremendous victory.
That early goal allowed the Rangers set-up to spring counter attacks on the stuttering Fenerbahce defence and Dessers was a real focal point throughout.
Setting up Vaclav Cerny for Rangers’ second goal with a superb return ball, Dessers also had a role to play in the third when he laid it off for Nicolas Raskin to play in Cerny for his second.
This was Cyriel Dessers at his bruising best and the big striker might’ve even walking off with the match ball on another day.
Fen-VAR-bache bailed out by referees
Cyriel Dessers twice had the ball in the back of the net in the second half at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium and twice saw the goal ruled out by VAR.
In a pair of agonising decisions, Cyriel Dessers first pounced on a save to roll the ball home and looked to have successfully played the offside trap.
But after a lengthy VAR check the goal was eventually ruled out with the images in the aftermath sheepishly flashed up on screen.
It’s certainly very tight and Rangers fans aren’t convinced Dessers was actually offside.
The second was another inconclusive incident, with Cyriel Dessers adjudged to have barely a toe offside as he hit a deflected shot into the net.
Both decisions went against Rangers and we wonder just how this result might’ve turned out had the Spanish VAR team saw things differently.
Rangers have sorely missed John Souttar
On an evening defined by a series of monumental performances, we can’t talk about individual contributions without touching on John Souttar.
You can trace many of Philippe Clement’s problems back to when Rangers lost the Scotland international centre-back in the Europa League draw with Spurs.
Rangers lack physicality across the pitch but John Souttar brings an astounding level of composure, strength and resilience to the Ibrox backline.
The Rangers centre-back is probably the first name on the team-sheet when fit and not without good reason.
In a colossal performance in Turkey, John Souttar competed physically with Edin Dzeko and dealt with (almost) every cross that came into the box.
Beyond that, the defender put his body on the line time and again, blocking shots with his head and body in a terrific display of siege defending.
Souttar is one of the best defenders in British football and Rangers have missed him dearly over the last few months.
Rangers midfield duo show quality on Europa League stage
Rangers started the match with an unconventional three-man midfield as Connor Barron returned to join dynamic midfield pair Mohamed Diomande and Nicolas Raskin.
The young Scotland hopeful started brightly at Rangers but has drifted out of form and is working his way back to fitness after an injury sustained at Old Trafford.
Whilst Barron put in an energetic and tireless display, it’s his midfield partners who are increasingly showing their quality on the Europa League stage.
Mohamed Diomande has a real elegance and composure which shines at this level and is a player of clear quality and midfield intelligence.
On the ball the Ivorian can be wonderfully graceful and he is one of these players who can be trusted with the ball in tight positions.
Alongside him, Nicolas Raskin is an increasingly prominent member of the Rangers team and it’s on the Europa League stage the midfielder once again shines.
It was another tireless display from the ex-Standard talent who broke up Fenerbahce attacks, mopped up loose balls and served as the fulcrum of the Rangers attack.
Raskin has been tipped for a Belgium call-up and when it comes to quality, the midfielder rolled a stunning pass into Vaclav Cerny for the third goal.
