Rangers eliminated from Europe after penalty shootout loss to Jablonec

Rangers’ European season is over before September even started. FK Jablonec, a mid-table Czech side, knocked the Scottish club out of the Europa Conference League on August 27, winning 4-3 on penalties after the tie finished 1-1 on aggregate following extra time. If you’re keeping score at home, that’s two European eliminations in a single summer for Rangers. The first came against Jagiellonia Bialystok in the Europa League qualifiers, where Rangers lost 3-2 on aggregate. This one, against a team that finished fifth in the Czech First League last season, stings even more. How it fell apart in the second leg Rangers had done the hard part. A 1-0 first-leg victory at Ibrox on August 20, courtesy of a Ryan Naderi goal, gave them a cushion heading to the Czech Republic. Cammy Devlin picked up a red card, leaving Rangers to grind through the second leg with ten men. Vakhtang Chanturishvili found the net in the 73rd minute, leveling the aggregate score at 1-1. Despite Rangers’ depleted squad hanging on through extra time, the tie headed to penalties. Jablonec converted four of their spot kicks to Rangers’ three. A troubling pattern under McInnes The loss to Jablonec extended the club’s w...