And breathe.
They may have made hard work of it, yet Rangers’ hopes of emulating 2022 live on, with the Premiership side edging into the Europa League quarter-finals after seeing off Fenerbahce on penalties.
Having put in a dominant display away in Istanbul a week ago to earn a 3-1 lead, inspired by the heroics of Cyriels Dessers and Vaclav Cerny, it looked as if the Gers already had one foot in the last eight, heading into Thursday’s meeting at Ibrox.
As it transpired, Jose Mourinho’s side were far more up for the task this time around, with Sebastian Szymanski netting in either half in superb fashion to wrestle the visitors level in the tie.
After an anxious extra half hour, the dreaded shootout was left to settle proceedings, with Jack Butland proving the decisive figure to help steer Barry Ferguson’s men into the next round.
Jack Butland's penalty heroics
It’s fair to say that it hasn’t been a particularly impressive campaign for both Butland and the Light Blues as a whole, with the one-time Stoke City stopper criticised by journalist Josh Bunting for getting in a “rut”, amid the final days of Philippe Clement.
Thankfully, however, the 32-year-old was back to his best when it mattered most for the Glasgow side, having come up trumps in the shootout, after actually only being forced into one save in the entire 120 minutes, as per Sofascore.
The Englishman first denied Dusan Tadic from the spot with an expert save with his feet, before then bailing out teammate Ianis Hagi, after producing a stunning dive to his right to keep out Fred’s attempt.
With substitute Mert Hakan Yandas then proceeding to blaze the decisive spot-kick over the bar, Butland was afforded the chance to lead the Rangers celebrations, having emerged as the heroic matchwinner after channelling his inner Allan McGregor.
The experienced goalkeeper was, of course, not alone in helping to steer the hosts into the last eight of the competition, with teammate Nico Raskin also putting in a statement performance in the centre of the park.
Performance in Numbers
The Rangers star who's playing like a £50m sensation
Unlike a week ago, this wasn’t the Old Firm side at their best, with Ferguson’s men having been made to work for their progression, after putting in a battling 120-minute display.
Central to that hard-working performance was midfield maestro, Raskin, with the 24-year-old once again producing a real all-action showing, alongside the impressive Connor Barron.
Raskin’s quality was typified by the fact that he won ten duels in total from his midfield berth, having also enjoyed an 80% pass accuracy, while providing one key pass as a marker of his forward-thinking prowess.
120 minutes
85 touches
80% pass accuracy
1 key pass
1 shot off target
1 shot blocked
0/1 successful dribbles
10 total duels won
17x possession lost
6 tackles
4 clearances
Indeed, Football Insider’s Harri Burton also noted the Belgian’s brilliant performance, handing him a 7/10 match rating, while writing that the former Standard Liege star is ‘quickly growing into one of the most important players at Ibrox’ and is now ‘a true leader on the pitch’.
That class is also evidenced by the fact that Raskin is deemed to be stylistically similar to Manchester United’s Manuel Ugarte, among midfielders in this season’s Europa League, as per FBref, with that some statement considering that the Uruguayan cost the Red Devils a reported fee of around £50m last summer.
Such a likeness between the pair is apparent due to their ball-winning brilliance, with the Rangers man ranking in the top 8% for tackles and the top 18% for interceptions per 90, while Ugarte, meanwhile, has enjoyed a similar record, after ranking in the top 23% and the top 8% for those same two metrics, respectively.
Much like the 23-year-old – who has been hailed as a “warrior” by talent scout Jacek Kulig – Raskin also possesses that much-needed midfield steel, having previously been described as a “pitbull” by journalist Bob Faesen during his days in Belgium.
While the Light Blues won’t be contemplating losing their 5 foot 10 sensation any time soon, his likeness to the £50m Ugarte, alongside his solid display on Thursday night, has showcased the trajectory that he could well enjoy in the years to come.
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