Super Eagles and Rangers defender, Leon Aderemi Balogun, was full of praise for his side’s goalkeeper, Jack Butland, for an impressive display against Fenerbahce last night, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 36-year-old veteran defender played a vital role in the two-legged tie, replacing an injured Robin Propper in Turkey before putting in a great shift at Ibrox last night.
However, it was Butland who turned up on the night in the penalty shootout after Rangers conceded two in regular time. The former Crystal Palace goalkeeper denied Fred and Dusan Tadic to send the Gers to the quarter final of the Europa League.
Get Our Sports News First – Join Our WhatsApp Channel Now!
After the game, Balogun lauded Butland, revealing he prayed for the hand of God to be upon the 32-year-old.
“I was praying for Jack, praying that God share some of his glory with him. He has done it. I’m just happy for Jack. He really deserves it. He’s a big character in the dressing room.
“He loves the club, cares about the boys and like I say it’s great for him to have a moment like that.
“It was tough, we made it harder for ourselves than it had to be. We had a couple of good moments in the first half. We could have executed better like we did last week,” the former Brighton and Hove Albion man said in quotes revealed by the Daily Record.
[Photo Credit/ Imago].
“We suffered out there. You all saw it, but we dug in, stuck together and ground it out. It’s a great moment for Jack. He was outstanding last season.
“We have all been up and down this season and for him to come up with that display, he had a few big saves in the game too, was massive. So happy days.
“We have to take it as it is. We did the groundwork last week and knew it was going to be tough today,” Balogun concluded.
Rangers will now face Spanish La Liga side, Athletic Bilbao, in the UEFA Europa League quarter finals. The first leg will be played at Ibrox on April 10, while the second leg will be played on the 17th of April at Estadio San Mames in Spain.