Rangers handed AS Roma boost as UEFA rules set up potential Europa League Quarter Final advantage
The Rangers team stood like giants in Fenerbahce’s ferocious Istanbul amphitheatre to record one of the great Scottish football results on Europa League duties.
Rangers are fair racking up famous results on the Europa League stage, with Fenerbahce the latest to feel the sharp end of the Ibrox side’s sword in the competition.
Rangers were good value against Fenerbahce, recording a 3-1 win that gives the club a strong advantage heading into next week’s home leg at Ibrox.
Barry Ferguson is under no illusion that the tie is still very much live and Rangers will have to repeat the feat against the Turks in a week’s time.
Jose Mourinho also has his eyes on Europa League progress.
But with one foot very much in the Europa League quarter final, Rangers fans are already allowing themselves to daydream.
And after this latest round of European fixtures, they might just be about to see the pendulum of advantage swing back in their favour.
READ MORE: Rangers fans hit back at Chris Sutton for reaction to Fenerbahce result
Photo by Ahmad Mora – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Photo by Ahmad Mora – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Rangers Europa League foes do battle in Rome
Rangers know that they will face the winners of either AS Roma or Athletic Bilbao should they overcome Fenerbahce in the Europa League Round of 16.
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The Italian giants or this season’s hosts – the final will be played at Athletic’s Estadio de San Mames in May – lie in wait if Rangers can hold firm against Fenerbahce.
So the Gers have a vested interest in the result between these two sides, with AS Roma giving Athletic a late bloody nose in Rome to take an advantage to Spain.
Inaki Williams had given the La Liga outfit the lead on the road after a goalless first-half, popping up at the back post to nod home a corner five minutes into the second period.
But it was a lead that wasn’t going to last.
Spanish left-back Angelino – who was part of the RB Leipzig side who were downed by Rangers en route to Seville – squeezed in an equaliser off the foot of the post minutes later.
The pendulum would then swing further in the Italians’ favour when Yeray Alvarez was shown a second yellow card for hauling down Eldor Shomurodov.
And it was the Uzbek forward who proved the difference maker with the final kick of the ball, finding space in a congested box to curl the ball home.
AS Roma victory gives Rangers Europa League advantage
Whilst Athletic have extra motivation to go the distance this season given they’re hosting the Europa League Final, Rangers fans should be cheering for AS Roma in Spain next week.
Having come out of the hat second in the Europa League Quarter Final draw, the winner of Rangers’ tie with Fenerbahce was initially set to be at a disadvantage in the last eight.
That’s because Rangers or Fenerbahce are scheduled to play the first leg of the tie at home, with the return leg set to be played away in either Rome or Bilbao.
But because Roma’s rivals Lazio have also qualified for the Round of 16 – the Rome giants defeating Viktoria Plzen 2-1 on the road in the first leg – things are a little more complicated.
As explained by Scotland’s Coefficient, UEFA rules prevent two home clubs playing their matches on the same night in the same city.
🇮🇹 If BOTH Roma AND Lazio progress to the Quarter Finals, then Roma’s matches would be reversed, as they finished lower than Lazio in the Europa League phase
🏴 If that happens and Rangers progress, Rangers would therefore now… pic.twitter.com/0gvMvNwAh5
UEFA rule 4.2.2 states: “If there is a clash in the second leg of these rounds between the home matches of two teams in the same competitions (i.e. both in UEL or both in UECL) which cannot be played on the same day, the team with the lower ranking tin the league phase of the two teams concerned will be reversed.”
Because Lazio (1st) finished higher than AS Roma (15th) in the Europa League group stages, it would result in Roma’s quarter finals being reversed should both teams reach the last eight.
Effectively, this means Rangers would play the first leg in Rome and the second leg in Glasgow should the Gers, AS Roma and Lazio all progress.
Given Ibrox has been such a thunderous advantage in the Europa League over the years, that’s something which should not be understated.
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