Ferencváros Fight Back to Sink Rangers in Crucial Europa League Clash
So, this one was a tough night for Rangers, and honestly, it felt like a big moment slipping away right in front of them. The match against Ferencváros in Budapest ended 2–1, and the result has just about slammed the door shut on their Europa League hopes this season.
The game actually started with a real spark for Rangers. Even though they’d been under pressure early on, it was Bojan Miovski who delivered a moment of class. Around the 27th minute, he connected with an acrobatic volley that flew past the goalie and suddenly put Rangers in front. It was one of those goals that comes out of nowhere and makes you think, “Alright, maybe tonight could be different.”
But Ferencváros weren’t unbeaten in this group for nothing. They kept piling on the pressure, and just when it looked like Rangers might sneak into halftime with the lead, the equaliser arrived. Deep into stoppage time—45+5, in fact—Bence Otvos hit a shot that took a deflection and found the bottom corner. You could almost feel the air leaving the Rangers team at that moment.
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After the break, the home side really turned it up. They created chance after chance, and truthfully, Rangers were hanging on at times. Bamidele Yusuf should’ve scored at least once, but he kept letting Rangers off the hook. Eventually, though, the pressure broke through. In the 72nd minute, Callum O’Dowda swung in a beautifully weighted cross, and Barnabas Varga rose completely unmarked to nod in what became the winning goal. Defensively, Rangers will look back at that one and wince—it was far too easy.
There was a late flicker of hope for the visitors. Findlay Curtis came off the bench and nearly rescued a point with a sharp effort, but Ferencváros goalkeeper David Grof pulled off an outstanding save to deny him. After that, Rangers never really threatened again. The final whistle was met with huge celebration from the home fans and visible frustration from the travelling side.
So where does this leave Rangers? In a really dire spot. They’ve now lost five of their six Europa League games, and mathematically, they’re hanging by the thinnest of threads. They’d need to beat both Ludogorets and Porto in their remaining matches and rely on several other results to fall perfectly in their favour. Even then, seven points probably won’t be enough. They could even be knocked out officially as soon as Thursday depending on other group outcomes.
For a team that reached the last eight of this tournament just last season, this campaign has been a brutal drop-off. The performance, the defensive errors, and the lack of second-half urgency—all of it just leaves you thinking they expected more, and they needed more. But on this night, Ferencváros simply wanted it more and made sure the scoreboard proved it.
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