Rangers have been knocked out of European football after suffering a humiliating 4-3 penalty shootout defeat to Czech Republic side Jablonec in their UEFA Conference League qualifier on Thursday night. The defeat leaves the Scottish club without European group-stage football for the first season since 2017.
Leading 1-0 from the first leg at Ibrox, manager Derek McInnes saw his team beaten 1-0 at the Stadion Strelnice after extra time, levelling the tie 1-1 on aggregate before the hosts prevailed in the shootout.
Rangers held the upper hand early in the shootout when goalkeeper Ivor Pandur saved Jablonec's third spot-kick from Filip Zorvan. However, substitute Findlay Curtis blazed his kick high over the bar, and James Penrice saw his effort saved by Jablonec goalkeeper Jan Hanus.
Jan Chramosta then stepped up to score the winning penalty, blasting the ball past Pandur to send Jablonec through to the Conference League group stage and confirm Rangers' elimination from European competition for the 2026-27 season.
The defeat ranks alongside Rangers' infamous elimination by Luxembourg side Progres Niederkorn in 2017 as one of the most embarrassing European exits in the club's history. The result places McInnes under intense scrutiny, coming shortly after an earlier failure to overcome Jagiellonia Bialystok in the Europa League qualifiers.
McInnes has signed 12 new players since taking charge, selecting six of them in Thursday's starting line-up and bringing another two off the bench. By contrast, his former club Hearts, led by new manager Wouter Vrancken with several new players of his own, secured group-stage football by defeating Austrian side Rapid Vienna.
First-Half Struggles at Stadion Strelnice
McInnes deployed the same 4-3-3 formation used in recent matches, keeping Ryan Naderi in the central striker role after his goal at Ibrox gave Rangers their first-leg lead. Newly appointed club captain Lawrence Shankland was again named on the bench, underscoring that he is not a guaranteed starter.
Shankland faces further competition for his spot with Venezuelan international striker Kevin Kelsy set to complete an imminent £9 million transfer to Rangers from Major League Soccer club Portland Timbers.
Playing in warm sunshine at the Stadion Strelnice, a small arena holding just under 6,000 supporters, the match began at a slow pace as both sides struggled to find any early rhythm.
Dan Neil captained Rangers from the base of the midfield three and grew frustrated at the lack of movement ahead of him. Jablonec created the first clear chance of the night on 13 minutes when Jan Suchan played a through ball to release Lamin Jawo behind the Rangers defence, but Jawo struck his low shot into the near-post side netting with only Pandur to beat.
Rangers displayed no creative spark in midfield or from wide positions throughout the opening period, leaving striker Naderi isolated as a virtual passenger for the first 45 minutes.
Jablonec Equalise to Force Extra Time
Following a wretched first-half display, McInnes made a triple substitution at half-time and altered the team's tactical shape. Captain Neil, Daisuke Yokota, and Djeidi Gassama were all substituted, with Shankland, Curtis, and Connor Barron introduced for the second half.
Curtis provided immediate pace on the right flank, while Shankland had an early half-chance inside the penalty box, but his shot was quickly closed down by Jablonec defenders.
Jablonec continued to threaten on counter-attacks and cut Rangers open on 53 minutes. Richard Sedlacek raced clean through on goal and fired wide, though Rangers were ultimately spared by a marginal offside flag.
The Czech hosts scored the goal their play deserved on 73 minutes. Vakhtang Tchanturishvili performed a Cruyff turn and dummy on Penrice down the left flank, drove inside the penalty area, and hit a low shot that deflected past Pandur into the net.
McInnes had long since removed his suit jacket in the heat and cut an exasperated figure on the touchline as Rangers failed to produce a response. The Scottish side finished the 90 minutes having recorded just one shot on target despite McInnes making five substitutions.
Extra-Time Stalemate and Penalty Heartbreak
Jablonec created the better openings as the game extended into extra time, with Rangers offering little coherent structure on the ball. McInnes made a final change at the half-time break in extra time by sending on Bojan Miovski.
Jablonec threatened to win the match before penalties when Filip Novak was allowed space to turn and shoot inside the penalty box, but Pandur made a low save to keep Rangers alive.
The penalty shootout ultimately sealed Rangers' fate, adding Jablonec to a list of damaging European setbacks alongside past defeats to Progres Niederkorn, Club Brugge, and Jagiellonia Bialystok.
Pressure Mounts Ahead of Old Firm Derby
The European exit leaves McInnes under severe pressure early in his tenure as manager. Rangers face a challenging fixture schedule in the coming weeks, beginning with a Scottish Premiership trip to face Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Sunday.
Following the trip to Aberdeen, Rangers face back-to-back Old Firm matches against Glasgow rivals Celtic in September, leaving McInnes with little room for error as he attempts to steady his side.
