Rangers player ratings vs Jablonec: Derek McInnes left red-faced as wretched Rangers exit Europe with a whimper

Rangers’ European campaign has come to a bitter end after they suffered a calamitous penalty shoot-out defeat to Jablonec in the Europa Conference League play-off round.

Derek McInnes’ side travelled to the Czech Republic holding a slender 1-0 advantage from a turgid first leg at Ibrox last week, but they were unable to protect their lead as the hosts fought back to level the tie and ultimately prevailed on penalties.

Rangers knew before kick-off that they faced a difficult evening, with Ryan Naderi’s goal from the first meeting giving them only a narrow cushion. They had dominated large spells of that opening encounter but had been left frustrated by their failure to establish a more commanding lead.

That missed opportunity ultimately proved costly as Jablonec started the return leg with greater urgency and determined to put Rangers under pressure from the outset, albeit the opening 45 minutes was short on attacking intent and quality.

The visitors struggled to impose themselves, with McInnes’ side finding it difficult to create the same level of attacking threat. Jablonec had the first notable opportunity when Lamin Jawo was presented with a chance to restore parity, although he failed to take advantage.

Rangers' best opening came when Tochi Chukwuani met a cross on the stretch with a close-range header, only for Jablonec goalkeeper Jan Hanuš to keep it out.

Clearly unhappy with what he had witnessed, McInnes reacted at half-time by making three substitutions. Curtis, Lawrence Shankland and Connor Barron were introduced as Rangers looked to change the direction of the contest. But the triple substitution did little to alter the balance of play, as the hosts continued to look the more threatening side.

The longer the game remained goalless, the greater the pressure became on Rangers to maintain their advantage. And their resistance was finally broken in the 73rd minute when Georgian winger Vakhtang Chanturishvilili created space in a difficult position before unleashing a fierce effort from a tight angle that flew beyond Pandur to draw Jablonec level on aggregate. The goal transformed the atmosphere inside the Stadion Strelnice and left Rangers staring at the prospect of extra-time.

Rangers attempted to push forward in search of a response, but they remained disjointed. Jablonec looked increasingly dangerous whenever they broke forward and created further openings before the match eventually descended into extra-time.

The additional 30 minutes followed a similar pattern, with the Czech side continuing to pose the greater threat while Rangers struggled to create a clear-cut chance of their own. However, neither team able to find a winner and the tie went to penalties.

Shankland, Bojan Miovski and Thelo Aasgaard all successfully converted for Rangers, while Zorvan's miss appeared to give the visitors a crucial advantage. Instead, that opportunity was squandered.

Curtis failed with Rangers' next attempt before Penrice also missed, leaving Jablonec one successful penalty away from victory. Chramosta accepted the invitation, keeping his composure to score the decisive spot-kick and complete a deeply disappointing night for Rangers.

The result represents another painful setback for McInnes, who had been tasked with securing European football after Rangers’ earlier elimination from the Europa League. For the first time since 2017, the club will be absent from the continental stage.

We give each player a mark out of ten for their display in north Czechia.