Steven Thompson blown away by Nicolas Raskin in Rangers win v Fenerbahce | OneFootball

Rangers produced a stunning performance away from Ibrox against Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce as they took a healthy 3-1 lead in the round of 16 first-leg in Istanbul.

The Gers now have an excellent chance of reaching the quarter-finals for the first time since 2022. Cyriel Dessers scored one and could have had a hat-trick, but two of his goals were disallowed after VAR intervention.

Vaclav Cerny scored twice on the night to earn Rangers a precious win. The Bears have been awful all season in the domestic competitions, but they have raised their levels in Europe. They have been a different beast.

Nicolas Raskin played out a sublime pass for Cerny and Rangers scored from a lightning counter-attack for the third goal.

Steven Thompson was thrilled by the pass from Raskin and hailed it as “wonderful”.

“That pass is absolutely wonderful. It’s inch perfect, weight perfect. Cerny shows the composure, opens it up, and curls it in.”

Barry Ferguson will be very proud of this performance from Rangers

Dessers capitalised on a defensive lapse from the home side and squeezed a shot over the line to give Rangers the lead.

The home side responded brilliantly through Alexander Djiku, who scored a stunning volley inside the box.

At the stroke of half time, Rangers took the lead again, thanks to a brilliant interchange of passes between Dessers and Cerny. The finish was exquisite.

In the second half, Rangers dugout were left heartbroken after two goals were ruled out, with Dessers marginally found to be on offside on both occasions.

But Cerny produced the killer blow, after Raskin, 24, picked him up in space with a magnificent pass. It was a superb finish from a dangerous counter attack, which earned Rangers a splendid victory away from home.

If Rangers can maintain the same intensity and level of performance at Ibrox, they should be able to see off the challenges for Fenerbahce next week.