Rangers’ disappointing start under manager Derek McInnes reached a new low as the Scottish club was eliminated from Europa League qualifying following a 1-1 home draw against Jagiellonia Bialystok. The defeat extended the aggregate scoreline to 2-3 in favor of the Polish visitors, marking the earliest competition exit for Rangers since 2017.
The match saw Rangers equalize early when Lawrence Shankland converted a penalty kick in the opening 20 minutes. Shankland’s goal marked his first for the club following his summer transfer from Hearts. The penalty came after VAR officials determined that Jagiellonia defender Yuki Kobayashi, a former Celtic player, had committed a handball offense in his own box.
Rangers created additional scoring opportunities in the first half, with Thelo Aasgaard’s shot missing the target and Ryan Naderi also coming close before halftime. However, the home side’s performance deteriorated significantly after the break. Nik Prelec, who had recorded just one goal in 24 appearances during his time with Championship-level Oxford in the previous season, capitalized on Rangers’ weakness by scoring 10 minutes into the second half.
Despite continued efforts to generate chances, Rangers failed to create meaningful threats against goalkeeper Slawomir Abramowicz following Prelec’s goal. The lack of penetration in the closing stages left McInnes’s team unable to salvage their Europa League campaign. The manager’s fourth consecutive match without a victory was concluded amid jeers from the home crowd at Ibrox, as Rangers’ European aspirations for the competition were extinguished at the qualifying round stage.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI