BARRY FERGUSON says his side’s character was key this evening as Rangers produced a dramatic penalty shootout triumph over Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce to seal their place in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League.
The Light Blues suffered a 2-0 defeat in normal time as the Turkish visitors levelled the tie on aggregate, but the Ibrox side showed resilience in abundance to prevail as Jack Butland thwarted a pair of penalty kicks.
Speaking to RangersTV after another memorable European evening, Ferguson commented: “It was eventful, that’s for sure! We knew what we were coming up against: a very good team.
“We could have done better for the two goals and that’s something that we’ll need to look back through.
“But in terms of getting amongst it, fighting for each other, showing character and desire; that’s all the things I want to implement into my team and they showed that tonight.
“You have people cramping up going into extra time and we had to make changes.
“Going into the penalty shootout and, listen, big Jack [Butland] showed his quality.
“Fair play to the players who stepped up and stuck their penalties away. Ianis [Hagi] is obviously disappointed, but I told him that it’s just part of football.
“I’m absolutely delighted to get into the last eight. It’s so important for the club but also this group of players because they’ve came through some tough times.
“I’m delighted that they showed the character that was needed if they want to play here at Rangers.”
The noise was deafening inside Ibrox as Fenerbahce spurned three spot-kicks in the deciding shootout.
Butland was indeed the hero for Rangers and Ferguson has praised the collective effort from his side and the Gers supporters who pushed their side over the line.
He added: “I let [the players] decide who was stepping up. I think it’s important that they have a chat about it.
“It’s about going for it, picking an area, and making sure you hit it as it can become a lottery.
“I knew him as a young boy at Birmingham and he was always going to be a top goalkeeper.
“He’s come in for a bit of unfair criticism, but the big man showed how good he really is tonight.
“The fans stuck behind the players. It’s easy to become frustrated and I understand that.
“But one thing about the fans inside this stadium is that they roared the players on.
“I think it gave them that bit of energy to keep going because people were running on empty.
“They were a major factor tonight and in the penalty shootout they were top class for us.
“A big shoutout to the fans because it’s important that they back us and they certainly did that tonight.”