The Sports Guru
Rangers are out of the Europa League, and their new manager still hasn't won a match. This article explains how a first-half penalty lead disappeared, why a half-time switch at the back proved costly, and what the aggregate defeat means for Derek McInnes's opening weeks at Ibrox. Read on to understand exactly where things went wrong and what comes next for both his league and European campaigns.
Derek McInnes has taken charge of Rangers four times since returning to his boyhood club, and he has still not won. Thursday's 1-1 draw with Jagiellonia Białystok at Ibrox eliminated Rangers from the Europa League 3-2 on aggregate, and by full-time the manager was greeted by boos from the fans who had stayed to the end in a half-empty stadium.
Rangers' four games under McInnes read: a 1-1 draw at Dundee United, a 2-1 defeat away to Jagiellonia in the first leg, a 1-2 home loss to Hibernian, and now this aggregate exit. No wins from four, and no Europa League group football to plan for. What remains is a Conference League play-off against Czech side Jablonec, who beat Latvian club RFS to reach that stage.
The Numbers Behind an Exit
Across the two legs, Rangers scored twice and conceded three times against Jagiellonia. The Polish side scored three and conceded two - a gap of a single goal that decided a tie Rangers led for less than an hour of the second leg. Lawrence Shankland's penalty had briefly levelled the aggregate score at 2-2, but Rangers never led the overall contest.
How the Second Leg Slipped Away
McInnes made five changes from Sunday's defeat by Hibernian and moved to a back three, missing left-back Tuur Rommens through injury and big-money striker Youssef Chermiti. Jagiellonia manager Adrian Siemieniec had promised his side would be dangerous on the counter, and they were the better team in an end-to-end opening. Jesús Imaz fired a low drive off the inside of a post and across goal, then volleyed tamely into goalkeeper Ivor Pandur's arms.
Rangers broke that pattern to lead in the 19th minute. Daisuke Yokota's low cutback into the six-yard box struck the arm of Yuki Kobayashi, VAR intervened, and Shankland converted the penalty. Imaz continued to test Pandur before half-time, and Nik Prelec fired across goal on the slide as Jagiellonia searched for an equaliser before the break arrived with Rangers 1-0 up on the night and level at 2-2 on aggregate.
The Switch That Didn't Work
McInnes reverted to a back four at half-time, replacing midfielder Thelo Aasgaard with Ross McCrorie in an unfamiliar left-back role. The change cost Rangers their fluidity, and McCrorie looked at fault when Prelec rose to head home a cross from Anders Klynge in the 65th minute - the goal that put Jagiellonia ahead on aggregate for good. Rangers had heeded McInnes's own call for "more risk" earlier in the tie, but the reward never matched the exposure it created at the back.
McInnes threw on fresh legs from the bench, and substitute Findlay Curtis' cross found fellow replacement Bojan Miovski with a sight of goal from six yards. Miovski headed wide of the far post, and no further clear chance arrived. Prelec's equaliser had ended the contest in all but name; he was named player of the match with an average rating of 8.60.
Former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday, speaking on BBC Sportsound, put the start bluntly: "It has been a poor start, there is no way to really gloss it over." He argued the current squad "should be enough to beat Jagiellonia Bialystok," regardless of the reinforcements still expected to arrive before the transfer window closes.
What Now for Rangers
McInnes's next assignment arrives quickly. Rangers host holders St Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup last 16 on Sunday, before the first leg of the Conference League play-off against Jablonec the following Thursday. It is a demanding week for a manager who, only months ago, was being praised for taking Hearts to within minutes of a shock Scottish title.
That contrast is the story of McInnes's opening month back at Ibrox: four games without a win, a European exit, and a manager whose reputation for overachievement elsewhere is now being tested by his own supporters' patience at the club he grew up supporting.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Jagiellonia Białystok won 3-2 on aggregate after a 2-1 first-leg win in Białystok and a 1-1 draw at Ibrox.
Lawrence Shankland converted a penalty in the 19th minute after Daisuke Yokota's cutback struck Yuki Kobayashi's arm and VAR awarded the spot-kick.
Nik Prelec headed home a cross from Anders Klynge in the 65th minute, shortly after Rangers switched to a back four at half-time.
He has not won any of his first four games: a draw at Dundee United, defeats in the Jagiellonia first leg and to Hibernian, and this aggregate Europa League exit.
Rangers drop into the Conference League play-off round to face Czech side Jablonec, with the first leg next Thursday.
Research: This article uses the archived evidence supplied for this story. Story inspiration: BBC Sport's original report.