Rangers were unlucky to lose out over the two legs against Benfica, however, too many key players dipped below their normal levels.
Gers boss Philippe Clement was proud of his squad despite the defeat at a drenched Ibrox but one player in particular should have him rubbing his hands.
After being linked with leaving Rangers in January, according to reports, Ridvan Yilmaz has been outstanding since and has shown that he can more than hold his own against the top teams.
Rangers have Ridvan Yilmaz crumb of comfort
Over the two legs, the Turkey international had the daunting task of marking Angel di Maria.
Yes, the veteran Argentine’s powers might be on the wane but he is still a lot quicker than most and is still one of European football’s most dangerous attackers.
But he got little change out of the Rangers left-back and was restricted to long-range efforts.
Ridvan never let him get past him though and, when the mercurial winger cut inside, he was quick to get blocks in too.
If there were any doubts about his ability to be our first choice left-back, those have surely now been put to bed.
Despite the threat behind him, Ridvan was a more than willing runner in the final third too, despite nothing coming off for him, he didn’t hide and kept looking for the ball.
With an Abdallah Sima or Oscar Cortes in front of him, Rangers might have had more joy but it wasn’t to be.
The 22-year old’s performances aren’t just encouraging from a selfish perspective, what it also does is ensure that – should there be more bids in the summer – that our valuation can now be higher than we paid for him.
If you can handle a World Cup winner like Di Maria comfortably over two games, then you have a player on your hands.
Making the quarter-finals would have been a bonus but, seeing players like RIdvan show that they can compete at this level and add a few pounds on their price tag is a welcome compensation.
