Rangers are in the Europa League Quarter Final after a dramatic penalty kicks shoot-out victory over Fenerbahce.
Rangers went into the second leg tie with a 3-1 lead after a stunning away performance in Turkey but Jose Mourinho promised Fenerbahce would a different animal in Glasgow.
And so it proved with Mourinho’s Fenerbahce eking out a 2-0 victory at Ibrox to pull the tie level and force the game to extra time.
But on a night of heroes for Rangers, there is one player above all else receiving the plaudits come full-time with Jack Butland the difference-maker in the penalty shoot-out.
Rangers fans laud Jack Butland after penalty kicks heroics
Rangers overcame Fenerbahce 3-2 on penalties after Jack Butland saved spot kicks from Dusan Tadic and Fred before Hakan Yandas skied his penalty to send the Ibrox side through.
Gers stars James Tavernier, Vaclav Cerny and Tom Lawrence found the back of the net for Rangers whilst Ianis Hagi had the headline writers in Istanbul clacking their keyboards.
There were monumental scenes come full-time and after a challenging season Butland has earned the praise of exhausted supporters.
In both legs of the Europa League tie the goalkeeper came up trumps with Jose Mourinho singling out Butland for a string of superb saves in the first leg.
Taking to social media come full time, Rangers fans have paid tribute to the goalkeeper who was the hero on the night and ultimately, the hero of the tie.
There was a sense of redemption for Jack Butland with one fan saying she ‘takes it all back’ when it comes to criticism of the keeper’s form this season.
Another has urged the 31-year-old stopper to ‘take a bow’ after his Ibrox heroics booked the Gers a place in the Europa League Quarter Finals.
One fan says that he is ‘delighted’ for Butland after a challenging few weeks, branding the goalkeeper’s two saves ‘massive’.
It was a tremendous performance from the stopper and Super Jack Butland is the toast of Glasgow tonight, with the sound of Status Quo ringing in everyone’s ears.
Jack Butland had penalty kicks history with Jose Mourinho
Jack Butland might’ve caused Jose Mourinho penalty heartbreak in the Europa League but it’s not the first time the Rangers stopper has been a thorn in the Portuguese manager’s side.
Butland was the hero for Stoke City as Mourinho-led Chelsea crashed out of the League Cup back in October 2015.
The now Rangers stopper saved Eden Hazard’s final spot-kick after Stoke City had scored all of their penalties following a 1-1 draw at the Britannia Stadium.
That penalty kicks defeat had a bearing on Mourinho eventually losing his job at Stamford Bridge by December, with the Stoke faithful famously signing ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’.
It appears Jack Butland has come back to haunt the Special One again with the Rangers goalkeeper sending Fenerbahce packing from the Europa League.
