Rangers suffered a humiliating Conference League exit at the hands of Czech side Jablonec, losing on penalties after the tie ended level. Derek McInnes' brief tenure at Ibrox reached a new low as his side failed to hold onto their first-leg lead, with player ratings reflecting the scale of the disaster.
Blame Falls on Every Shoulder
Having won narrowly in Glasgow last week, Rangers needed only to protect their advantage. But with 17 minutes left, Vakhtang Chanturishvili levelled the tie, sending the game to extra-time and then penalties. Goalkeeper Ivor Pandur initially gave Rangers hope by saving Filip Zorvan's spot-kick, but youngster Findlay Curtis blazed his effort over the bar and James Penrice saw his penalty saved, allowing Jan Charmosta to score the winning kick.
The defeat means Rangers face a season without group-stage action for the first time since 2017. McInnes, who had named an unchanged starting XI for the first time since taking over, saw his side produce a tepid display. Individual errors compounded the misery, with several players scoring as low as 3 out of 10.
Player Ratings: Key Failures
Ivor Pandur was given a let-off when Lamin Jawo dragged a huge chance wide, but could do nothing about Chanturishvili's equaliser. He saved a penalty but it wasn't enough, earning a 6. Dujon Sterling struggled to track his man and was repeatedly ragged on the ball, scoring 5. Manny Fernandez was solid after an early scare but couldn't block Chanturishvili's shot, also earning 6.
Olwethu Makhanya, man of the match last week, was far less assured this time, losing possession in his own box, and scored 5. James Penrice was caught out for the equaliser and saw his penalty saved, also 5. Dan Neil, the stand-in captain, was accused of lacking urgency and was hooked at half-time again, scoring just 3.
Substitutes Fail to Rescue
Vanja Dragojevic was too excitable on the ball and was replaced after a string of loose passes, scoring 3. Tochi Chukwuani's No10 experiment didn't work, and he continued to jog when full commitment was needed, also 3. Daisuke Yokota delivered one decent cross before being dragged off at the break for the third time in six appearances, scoring 3. Djeidi Gassama had an off night, scoring 3, while Ryan Naderi was weak off the ball, scoring 4.
Among the substitutes, Lawrence Shankland came close with a header in extra-time and tucked his penalty home, scoring 3. Findlay Curtis showed urgency but blazed his penalty over the bar and left the field in tears, scoring 4. Connor Barron gave energy but isn't the saviour some fans have made him out to be, scoring 3. Thelo Aasgaard showed poise but was surrounded by green jerseys, scoring 3. Kosta Nedeljkovic got into decent positions but couldn't produce the required cross, scoring 3, and Bojan Miovski netted his spot-kick but was thrown on too late, scoring 2.
