Rangers boss Derek McInnes said he was “mortified” after his side lost a UEFA Conference League play-off on penalties to Czech side Jablonec, throwing away a 1-0 aggregate lead.
Derek McInnes didn’t try to hide his frustration. The Rangers manager admitted he was “mortified” after his side crashed out of European football with a limp, lethargic performance in the Czech Republic, losing a UEFA Conference League play-off to Jablonec on penalties despite arriving with a slender aggregate lead in hand.
How the Tie Was Lost
Rangers traveled to the Stadion Střelnice near the Jizera Mountains holding a 1-0 advantage from a turgid first leg at Ibrox the previous week. Rather than seeing the job through, the Light Blues delivered a flat, disjointed performance, managing just one shot on target across the entire match while holding under 47% possession.
Jablonec midfielder Vakhtang Tchanturishvili leveled the tie on aggregate in the 73rd minute, sending the match into extra time. With no further goals, the tie went to a penalty shootout. Rangers goalkeeper Ivor Pandur gave his side a brief lifeline, saving a spot-kick from Filip Zorvan, but that advantage evaporated quickly: Findlay Curtis fired his own penalty over the bar, and James Penrice was denied by Jablonec’s goalkeeper. Jan Chramosta then stepped up and converted the decisive penalty, sending Rangers out of Europe entirely before September had even arrived, for the first time since 2017.
McInnes Doesn’t Hold Back
Speaking afterward, McInnes offered no excuses for the performance. “I’m mortified by the performance. I know you can lose games of football, but we should have enough in the building to take care of that tonight,” he said. “It’s such a low point. I’m embarrassed with the result.”
He was direct about where responsibility lay, while also pointing to a collective effort needed from his squad. “I’ll take responsibility for the result, but the responsibility is shared. The players have got to be better than that. We know that. It’s my job to help the players, but they’ve got to help themselves as well.”
McInnes also expressed genuine sympathy for the traveling supporters who made the trip. “I’m gutted for the supporters because they’ve come here. We come over on a charter flight, we stay in a nice hotel, we get all the preparation, and they come here whatever way they can. They don’t always need to see their team perform brilliantly, but they do deserve to see their team perform way better than that.”
In a separate part of his post-match comments, McInnes praised his own staff and the traveling fans as the only parts of the club that had represented Rangers well on the night: “The only people who represented the club well tonight were my staff and the supporters who were outstanding, getting behind the team despite watching what we all watched.”
A Squad Still Finding Its Feet
McInnes acknowledged the scale of squad turnover at Ibrox this summer as part of the context, without using it as a full excuse. “Yes, there’s been a big turnover of players. Yes, we looked very inexperienced at times. But the responsibility is mine to make sure that we are better than what we served up tonight. And we were miles short, miles short.”
Since arriving from Hearts over the summer, McInnes has signed 12 players as part of a significant squad rebuild, with more incomings reportedly still to come. Six of those new signings started the match in Jablonec, with two more introduced from the bench, adding weight to broader questions now being asked about how much of the current struggles stem from a squad still gelling under a new system, versus deeper issues with performance levels regardless of personnel.
A Rough Start to the European Campaign for Scottish Football
Rangers’ exit adds to what’s already been a difficult opening stretch of European competition for Scottish clubs this season. St Johnstone have also already been eliminated from the Europa League, while Kilmarnock, also managed by a Derek McInnes-adjacent storyline in past seasons, fell to FC Copenhagen in a separate Conference League play-off. This marks the first time since 2017 that Rangers have found themselves without European football beyond the month of August.
Mounting Questions for McInnes
Beyond the immediate disappointment of Thursday’s result, the manner of the defeat has intensified broader scrutiny of McInnes’s start at Ibrox. With a dozen new signings already brought in and a substantial financial outlay behind the summer rebuild, questions are mounting over exactly how much more investment and time will be needed before the team starts to look convincing under his management, and whether this result represents a genuine low point in an otherwise promising rebuild, or a sign of deeper issues still to be resolved.
What Happens Next
With European football off the table for the rest of the season, Rangers’ focus now shifts fully toward domestic competition, where McInnes will be looking to translate his summer squad overhaul into more consistent results, and quickly move past what he himself has already labeled one of the club’s genuine low points under his tenure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How did Rangers lose their European tie against Jablonec? Rangers held a 1-0 aggregate lead heading into the second leg but were held level after Jablonec’s Vakhtang Tchanturishvili scored in the 73rd minute, sending the match to extra time and eventually a penalty shootout, which Rangers lost 4-3.
Q: What did Derek McInnes say after the match? McInnes said he was “mortified” and “embarrassed” by the performance, taking responsibility for the result while also stating that responsibility was shared with his players, who he said were “miles short” of the standard required.
Q: How many new players has McInnes signed at Rangers? McInnes has signed 12 players since arriving from Hearts over the summer, with more signings reportedly still expected, as part of a broader squad rebuild.
Q: Is this the first time Rangers have been out of Europe early in recent years? Yes. This marks the first time since 2017 that Rangers have been without European football participation beyond the month of August.
Q: Have other Scottish clubs also struggled in Europe this season? Yes. St Johnstone has also already been eliminated from Europa League qualifying, and Kilmarnock lost a separate Conference League play-off tie to FC Copenhagen, reflecting a difficult start to the European campaign for Scottish football broadly this season.
