Rangers striker Danilo was eager to get on the pitch, but his teammate at Ibrox changed his mind about being substituted, leaving the Brazilian visibly frustrated.
Barry Ferguson has backed Danilo’s passionate reaction during Rangers’ Europa League clash with Fenerbahce, saying he prefers players to show that kind of hunger.
Danilo, who was reinstated in the European squad, looked poised to enter the game as Vaclav Cerny was receiving treatment during extra time. However, Cerny suddenly insisted he could continue, which led to Danilo venting his frustration by punching the bench—an outburst captured by TNT Sports.
The Light Blues suffered a 2-0 defeat on the night, sending the match into extra time as the aggregate score stood at 3-3. With no further goals, the tie was decided by penalties, where Jack Butland emerged as the hero, securing Rangers’ place in the quarter-finals against Athletic Bilbao.
Speaking ahead of the upcoming clash with Celtic, Ferguson addressed the heated moment caught on camera.
“You’ve probably seen it,” he said. “I thought he’d cramped and was done, and I got the message that he was coming off. I saw him getting treatment on the pitch, but when I spoke to him, his response was, ‘No, I’m not coming off.’
“He’s been a real threat for me, and it turned out to be the right call because he scored one of the penalties.
“Look, Danilo wasn’t happy, but I’d rather my players react like that. A bit of frustration is good—I don’t want players to be content sitting on the bench. That’s just football.
“It was chaos at that point, heading into the final 15 minutes of extra time, but he got through it and calmly converted his penalty.”
Meanwhile, midfielder Nico Raskin has been a standout performer for Rangers in recent months, earning a Belgium call-up. Ferguson joked that the midfielder’s resurgence was down to his own influence since taking charge.
“I told Nico, ‘That’s the difference I’ve made in just two and a half weeks!’” Ferguson said with a laugh.
“When I first arrived, I saw his potential—he has a lot of great attributes, but there are areas he needs to refine. The good thing is he’s open to improvement, and I appreciate that.
“I work closely with my players, but Nico has played so much football that I haven’t had many one-on-one opportunities with him—not that he minds! But I’m delighted for him.
“He’s had a consistent run without injuries, but I still think there’s more to come. I want to push him as far as possible because he has the ability to go along way in his career.”
