Fenerbahce vs Rangers always felt like one of those occasions where every member of the visiting XI and beyond had to stand up and be counted.
A game where passengers could not be tolerated, and when the sort of individual blunders which played a major role in costing Philippe Clement his job could not be repeated.
To quote one Turkish pundit, Fenerbahce’s budget is far greater than Rangers’. As such, Barry Ferguson’s squad arguably does not even ‘come close to the quality’ at the disposal of two-time Champions League winner Jose Mourinho.
Even without former Manchester United midfielder Fred, Fenerbahce still lined up on Thursday night at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium with the living legend that is Edin Dzeko partnering the prolific £19 million centre-forward Youssef En-Nesyri.
An XI boasting players formerly of Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid and Juventus. Two ‘world-class’ forwards – to quote Rangers hitman Cyriel Dessers – in Dzeko and Dusan Tadic.
But, as Rangers stormed into an ‘unexpected’ 3-1 first leg lead in Istanbul, it was one of Barry Ferguson’s triumphant travellers who earned himself ‘world-class’ billing following a pitch-perfect 90-plus minutes of classic away-from-home European action.
- READ MORE: Rangers Europa League Record Since 2017
Nico Raskin ‘world-class’ as Rangers stun Fenerbahce in Turkey
Rangers legend Ally McCoist labelled Nico Raskin ‘unbelievable’ following another tireless performance on the continent.
The £1.7 million acquisition from Standard Liege averaged the third-most tackles of any midfielder in the competition after the Europa League’s first phase came to an end in January.
But the Gers’ arch-ball-winner showed the other, often unappreciated, side of his game on Turkish soil. Raskin delivered what Belgian publication Walfoot described as a ‘world-class assist’ when his sublime first-time through ball took the visitors from the brink of their own penalty area to the edge of the Fenerbahce box.
One sumptuous swing of his right boot was all it took to dissect Jose Mourinho’s entire backline while serving up Vaclav Cerny’s second goal of the evening on a silver platter.
A few weeks prior, Raskin scored his first Rangers goal in 15 months in a 2-1 victory over Union Saint-Gilloise. This was the former Belgium Under-21 international’s first ever Europa League assist, at the 17th time of asking.
Raskin ‘made jaws drop’ as midfielder boosts his Belgium hopes
Nico Raskin hopes to force his way into the senior Belgium team with the international break approaching.
Ahead of Rudi Garcia’s debut in charge of the Rote Duivels, stand-out performances on the European stage against Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and now Fenerbahce should give the 24-year-old’s hopes a timely boost.
“Nicolas Raskin made jaws drop with a beautiful assist,” Gazet van Antwerpen write in their own post-match assessment of the former Anderlecht and KAA Gent youngster.
If that glorious pass to set Cerny away for a 17th of the campaign was a little out of character, the role he played in the Wolfsburg loanee’s first of the night just before the break was classic Nico Raskin.
He pounced on a loose Dzeko touch like a Jack Russell terrier on a tennis ball. Raskin then prodded the ball forward to Cerny, kick-starting a rapid counter-attack which the Czech winger would finish off via a delightful one-two with Cyriel Dessers.
Rangers’ squad certainly lacks the experience, the reputation and even the sheer technical quality of Fenerbahce’s.
But with Nico Raskin haring around the pitch, lighting fuses and putting out fires, the little midfielder with a giant heart and even bigger lungs is certainly quite the leveller.
