Ferencváros Hand Rangers Another Costly European Blow
So, the story of Rangers’ night in Budapest can really be summed up in one sentence: it was another European evening where the Scottish side made life far too hard for themselves. The match finished 2-1 for Ferencváros, and honestly, Rangers were second-best for most of it. Even Robbie Keane, the Ferencváros boss and a former Celtic striker, didn’t mince his words—he felt his team dominated and that Rangers didn’t really deserve the goal they scored.
Rangers actually took the lead, and for a brief moment it felt like things might finally tilt their way in Europe. Bojan Miovski pulled off a beautiful acrobatic volley, and although it was initially ruled out, VAR stepped in and overturned the decision. The away fans celebrated like something special was about to unfold. But that optimism didn’t last long.
Right before half-time, Ferencváros struck back. Bence Otvos finished off a tidy attacking move, though the goal did take a tiny deflection on its way through. Still, what frustrated Danny Röhl was the way Otvos was left completely alone inside the box. It wasn’t a moment of brilliance from the opposition so much as a lapse in concentration from Rangers. And unfortunately for them, that theme continued.
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The second half got even worse. A long, hopeful ball forward by Ferencváros created chaos that simply shouldn’t happen at this level. Callum O'Dowda had far too much space, swung in a cross, and Emmanuel Fernandez completely lost track of the danger. Barnabas Varga, who has been scoring for fun this season, was gifted a free header and made it 2-1. Fernandez immediately put his hands to his head—he knew exactly how costly that mistake was.
What will irritate Rangers supporters most is that this wasn’t a one-off error. It’s been the story all season: good spells undone by defensive naivety. Even Billy Dodds said it was “as bad as I’ve seen” from the Rangers back line this year, and that’s saying something given some of the goals they’ve already conceded.
Ferencváros could easily have added more. Bamidele Yusuf alone had several chances and really should’ve scored at least once. Rangers, on the other hand, barely threatened after their opener. Seven shots in total—their lowest in this season’s Europa League—and very few of them worrying the goalkeeper.
Röhl didn’t hide his frustration afterward. He felt the team played well in moments, especially in the first half, but that they “destroyed their hard work” with two or three avoidable situations. And he’s right. The effort is there, the desire is there, but the basics—positioning, tracking, discipline—keep letting them down.
Now, with just a single point from six games, Rangers aren’t mathematically out, but realistically their Europa League journey is all but over. Two matches remain, but more than anything, this defeat has shown just how big the rebuild needs to be, especially at the back.
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