Somehow the Turks held on and when Bert Konterman’s low drive was cleared off the line in the final minute by Umit Ozat, Rangers’ knew their luck was out.
There was much to admire about Rangers’ performance but they just could not get the goal they needed. It was always an uphill battle after Haim Revivo gave Fener the lead in just three minutes.
When substitute Serhat Akin scored in 71 minutes it looked all over but Fernando Ricksen threw Rangers a lifeline with a goal in 73 minutes but it was not enough.
The Turkish fans turned up in their thousands, hours before kick-off, and never stopped singing and chanting creating the kind of atmosphere Rangers always knew they were going to experience.
There was a spectacular ticker tape reception for the Fener players when they took the field and it must have brought back memories of Argentina 78 for Claudio Caniggia.
He was on the bench, however, and the surprise selection was the inclusion of Andrei Kanchelskis – someone who appears to have no future under Dick Advocaat and he did little to change the manager’s opinion.
However, all of Advocaat’s planning and preparation had scarcely any time to take effect as Rangers, disastrously, went behind after only three minutes of the match.
Claudio Reyna had warned pre-match about not conceding freekicks in dangerous areas, but Scott Wilson did exactly that and Rangers were punished severely.
Wilson clattered into the back of Samuel Johnson – Michael Mols’s adversary from the first leg – and Italian referee Pierluigi Collina had no option but to award a freekick some 23 yards out.
Stefan Klos lined up his wall but he was helpless as Israeli striker Haim Revivo curled a beautiful effort into the bottom right corner. It was, quite simply, a nightmare start.
Rangers, though, recovered quickly and settled into the game, moving the ball well through midfield but without causing any real concern to the Fenerbahce defence.
Lorenzo Amoruso tried his luck from 40 yards with a freekick in 20 minutes after Ronald de Boer had been brought down but it flew wide of the left hand post. A minute later Tony Vidmar got down the left and produced a decent cross but Tore Andre Flo could not get on the end of it properly.
Strangely for a home side, Fenerbahce played more on the break and they almost hurt Rangers in this fashion in 26 minutes when Revivo broke free and tried to slide a pass into Milan Rapajic but Fernando Ricksen did just enough to stop the move.
That said, at this stage Rangers were still very much in it. They just needed something to happen up front and the moment came in the 35th minute. Sadly, though, de Boer could not make it count.
It was Arthur Numan who created the opportunity, playing in de Boer in the left channel but the former Barcelona star could not get hold of his left foot shot and Rustu Recber saved easily.
However, having been buoyed but that move, Rangers suffered another blow a minute later when Reyna had to come off with what seemed a recurrence of his groin injury.
He had signalled to the bench that he could not continue but before he came off he was fouled by Nikola Lazetic, who earned a yellow card for his troubles. Stephen Hughes was the man to come on.
Wilson was then cautioned for tackling Revivo from the back in 37 minutes and Amoruso joined him in Collina’s book in first half injury time for fouling the same player.
Advocaat made a switch at half time, bringing on Maurice Ross for Tony Vidmar, giving the youngster his first taste of European action and he almost made an immediate impact.
Ross forced Mert Meric to concede a corner in 49 minutes and then got on the end of de Boer’s flag kick, heading it back across goal. Wilson had a stab at it and the ball seemed to hit Rustu on the chest before it was cleared.
It was hugely encouraging for Rangers who knew one goal would change the whole shape of the tie. They simply had to create more. Kanchelskis was drafted in to do just that but he had little influence.
It was left to Ricksen to try to force the issue in 61 minutes. He burst into the box and hammered a right foot shot which Rustu brilliantly pushed over the bar for a corner.
De Boer whipped the dead ball over from the right and Bert Konterman had a free header but sent his effort wide when he knew he should have done a lot better.
Rangers simply had more menace about their play but they had to make it pay. Twice, Kanchelskis got into good areas but took the wrong option both times.
Then just when Rangers were looking as if they could pull off the job, they were hit with a killer goal in 71 minutes when Serhat Akin scored with virtually his first touch of the ball.
Serhat, who had repalced Revivo two minutes earlier, played a one-two with Lazetic to rip the Rangers defence wide open and then produced a powerful right foot strike to beat Klos.
The dream looked dead and buried there and then for Rangers, but they forced their way back into the match just two minutes later when Ricksen scored a priceless goal.
There was an element of fortune as his right foot effort took a deflection before nestling in the right corner of the net. Suddenly there was a chance again and a nervousness enveloped the Turks.
Caniggia went down in the box in 82 minutes after a challenge from Umit but Collina waved play on. Then Ricksen burst into the box again in 83 minutes but was prevented from shooting by Ogun.
Frantically, Rangers searched for the second goal which would take them through on the away goals rule and they could not be faulted for their efforts.
They battered Fenerbahce for the final 15 minutes but just could not find a way through. Their luck was summed up in the final minute when Konterman slammed a right foot shot which was heading for the corner of the net but Umit was on the line to clear.
The stark reality is that Rangers now have to contemplate life in the UEFA Cup, which is very much scant consolation in comparison to the riches and the prestige the Champions League offers.
However, Advocaat will be absolutely determined to make some kind of impact. The draw is made on Friday and there is every chance that Rangers will be seeded.
FENERBAHCE: Rustu; Mirkovic, Ogun, Dogan; Meric, Umit, Lazetic (Uygar 89), Johnson, Abdullah; Revivo (Serhat 69), Rapajic (Andersson 77). Subs not used – Oguz, Uygar, Akdeniz,, Simsek, Gunes.
Bookings: Lazetic (36) Andersson (79)
RANGERS: Klos; Wilson, Amoruso, Vidmar (Ross 45); Kanchelskis (Caniggia 71), Ricksen, Konterman, Reyna (Hughes 36), Numan; de Boer, Flo. Subs not used – Christiansen, Dodds, Latapy, Miller.
Bookings: Wilson (37), Amoruso (45), Ross (67)
Att:25,000.
Ref: Pierluigi Collina (Italy).
Man of the match: Fernando Ricksen
Moment of the match: Ricksen’s strike.