Ferencvárosi 2 – 1 Rangers: Defensive chaos costs Rangers in damaging defeat to Ferencváros
Player statistic
1st half
| 27' |  |
Bojan Miovski (Assist: Danilo) | ||
| 43' |  |
Max Aarons | ||
| Bence Ötvös (Assist: Ibrahim Cissé) |
|
45+5' |
2nd half
| Barnabás Varga (Assist: Callum O’Dowda) |
|
72' | ||
| Lenny Joseph | |
77' | ||
| 79' | |
Nasser Djiga |
Match statistic
15
Fouls
13
55
Possession
45
16
Total shots
7
3
Shots in goal
2
7
Shots off goal
2
6
Blocked shots
3
5
Corners
5
2
Offside
1
Rangers’ Europa League campaign is hanging by the thinnest of threads after a damaging collapse in Budapest, where Ferencváros came from behind to take all three points and leave Philippe Clement’s side staring at an early exit.
Rangers actually struck first, and with their only meaningful attempt of the opening hour. Bojan Miovski produced a superb acrobatic finish on 27 minutes after Danilo’s blocked effort broke kindly in the box. The flag initially went up, but VAR confirmed the striker was just onside. His celebration in front of the home ultras made the moment even sweeter.
That, remarkably, was the high point of the night.
Ferencváros had caused problems from the first whistle, repeatedly slicing through a hesitant Rangers back line. Bamidele Yusuf passed up three big openings inside half an hour, and Jack Butland survived a shaky moment when he spilled a corner straight into traffic and Toon Raemaekers poked narrowly wide.
The warning signs were there, and Rangers didn’t heed them.
Deep into first-half stoppage time, Ferencváros levelled. A pullback into the box found Bence Otvos, whose effort took a slight touch off Nasser Djiga before nestling in the corner. It was a dreadful time to concede and shifted the momentum entirely.
Rangers’ defending after the interval didn’t improve. Within two minutes of the restart the back line was scrambling again, and although Djiga produced several excellent recovery tackles, the structure around him looked increasingly desperate.
The introduction of Mikey Moore and Dujon Sterling briefly injected energy, but Ferencváros were the side building pressure. The decisive goal arrived on 72 minutes, and Rangers could have no complaints. Callum O’Dowda floated a cross to the back post and Barnabás Varga — completely unmarked — powered home a brilliant header for his 20th goal of a prolific season.
Clement shuffled the bench again, but the team created almost nothing as the clock ticked down. Curtis came closest when he forced David Grof into a superb save, palming the shot round the post, but Rangers never looked like finding an equaliser during the sluggish closing stages.
By full-time, Ferencváros were in full celebration mode — and Rangers were left knowing the outcome was entirely self-inflicted.
A night of slack defending, minimal threat in attack, and another nail driven into a European campaign that is rapidly slipping away.
Full match timeline
• FT – Ferencváros 2–1 Rangers – Ferencváros come from behind to win, leaving Rangers’ Europa League hopes hanging by a thread. Robbie Keane full of delight at full-time.
• 90+2’ – Rangers offer nothing in the added time so far, struggling to create any attacking threat.
• 90’ – Four minutes added.
• 86’ – Findlay Curtis sees a terrific effort tipped round the post by David Grof. An outstanding save.
• 82’ – Jayden Meghoma rises well at the back post but can’t steer a difficult header on target.
• 78’ – Yellow Card – Nasser Djiga booked for a trip on substitute Lenny Joseph.
• 75’ – Thelo Aasgaard replaces James Tavernier shortly after the second Ferencváros goal but has yet to make an impact.
• 72’ – GOAL Ferencváros 2–1 Rangers (Barnabás Varga) – A superb back-post header from Varga, guiding Callum O’Dowda’s floated cross into the net. Poor defending from Rangers, leaving him unmarked. It’s already his 20th goal of the season.
• 69’ – Mikey Moore gets a shot away but it’s blocked. The game is opening up.
• 66’ – Bojan Miovski goes off injured. Youssef Chermiti and Findlay Curtis come on. Danilo also makes way.
• 63’ – Tavernier whips in a dipping delivery from a short corner. Emmanuel Fernandez stretches but can’t direct it on target. Miovski lands awkwardly and stays down.
• 61’ – A weak long-range strike from Alex Tóth rolls harmlessly into Jack Butland’s arms.
• 59’ – Rangers make two changes: Dujon Sterling and Mikey Moore replace Max Aarons and Djeidi Gassama.
• 58’ – Rangers’ last shot remains Miovski’s 27th-minute goal.
• 56’ – Another last-ditch but brilliant tackle by Nasser Djiga stops Yusuf, though the Rangers defence once again looks stretched.
• 54’ – Djiga sprints back and makes an excellent recovery tackle after Rangers are caught out of position.
• 50’ – Djiga makes a superb challenge to deny Barnabás Varga a clear sight of goal.
• 47’ – Rangers are forced into two quick blocks after a deep Ferencváros free-kick.
• 45+5’ – GOAL Ferencváros 1–1 Rangers (Bence Otvos) – Brutal timing for Rangers as a pullback into the box is finished by Otvos, via a slight deflection off Djiga.
• 36’ – David Grof commands his area superbly, punching clear at a corner despite colliding heavily with Nasser Djiga.
• 34’ – Danilo tries to meet Tavernier’s dinked pass, but Grof comes out strongly and takes both ball and man.
• 30’ – Yusuf again escapes in the Rangers box and slices wide at the near post. He could easily be on a hat-trick of chances.
• 27’ – GOAL Ferencváros 0–1 Rangers (Bojan Miovski) – Initially flagged offside, but the goal is awarded after review. A superb acrobatic finish after Danilo’s shot was blocked. Rangers’ first shot on target results in the opener. Miovski celebrates in front of the ultras.
• 27’ – Disallowed at first – Miovski’s outstanding finish bursts the net but the flag goes up before it is overturned.
• 22’ – A corner swung into the Rangers box sees two Ferencváros players get in each other’s way before the ball glances wide.
• 21’ – Rangers sit off and allow Ferencváros to build patiently. The tempo remains flat.
• 17’ – Butland fumbles a corner and Toon Raemaekers pokes just wide. A major let-off.
• 13’ – Aarons feeds Danilo, who drives into the box and flashes a dangerous ball across goal. Ferencváros clear. Aarons is pushing so high that Rangers look like a 4-2-4 at times.
• 9’ – Yusuf drives to the byline with power and wins a corner. The short routine ends with Makreckis firing well over.
• 7’ – A long throw into the Rangers box causes more uncertainty, but Yusuf’s effort is blocked.
• 5’ – Rangers win a corner that unsettles Ferencváros before being cleared.
• 3’ – Rangers’ defence is cut open too easily and Yusuf drags a shot wide.
• 1’ – Tavernier launches a long throw into the Ferencváros box; the defence deals with it.
Ferencvárosi
Rangers
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