Rangers landing punches all over Europe has raised Scottish football bar but one disappointment remains – Barry Ferguson

It's difficult to sum up the admiration I’m feeling for this Rangers team right now, in the wake of another astonishing Thursday night in the Europa League.

The performance they put up against Benfica was bordering on heroic - even though, by their standards, it wasn’t actually all that good. If truth be told I thought they looked a bit jaded the longer the game went on and I don’t mean just physically either.

Trust me, when you’re up against opposition of that quality it’s also an exhausting task mentality because you can’t afford to switch off up stairs for a single second. The concentration levels required against the best in Europe can be an absolute drain because one lapse and you know these guys will hurt you. So, yes, I was a little bit concerned for them, especially in the second half, because you could see the tank beginning to empty.

But - and this is a big but - I loved the way they knuckled down, dug deep and dredged up the spirit and energy required to stay in the fight. I absolutely loved it. Was this Rangers at their best? Not by a long shot.

And hopefully Benfica’s players have come away from the first leg thinking that’s the best version of Rangers that they can come up against. Because, if that’s the case, they might be in for a big surprise when they run out under the lights at Ibrox next week.

I’m trying hard not to get ahead of myself here because first and foremost Rangers have a massive cup tie to face at Easter Road on Sunday. And I know for a fact that manager Philippe Clement will be fully focused on that one because he’s still in the hunt for three more trophies and he simply won’t allow anyone to take their eye off the ball when so much silverware is up for grabs.

But I also have to be honest.