Six crushing European qualifying failures involving Rangers as Russell Martin bids to avoid similar fate on debut
Ibrox side face Panathinaikos in the first leg of their Champions League second round qualifier tonight
There’s no doubt Panathinaikos was the toughest draw Rangers could have landed in the Champions League second qualifying round - but Russell Martin will hope his first taste of European football begins on a winning note.
Last season’s Greek Super League runners-up are in Glasgow for tonight’s first leg, with the return leg taking place in Athens next Wednesday.
And while the Ibrox side will be firmly focused on reaching the competition’s lucrative League Phase, Martin will know they can’t take a well-drilled Panathinaikos outfit for granted.
The Light Blues have suffered some qualifying nightmares in Europe over the years and will be desperate to avoid a repeat of these six horror results:
1993 vs Levski Sofia - 4-4 draw on aggregate (Rangers lose on away goals)
Walter Smith’s Treble-winning side were quietly confident of making light work of their Bulgarian opponents having come close to reaching the final the previous year. However, they allowed complacency to creep in by allowing Levski back into a tie that looked over inside an hour.
Rangers went two goals up on two separate occasions on home soil courtesy of Dave MacPherson’s strike and a Mark Hateley double, but when the visitors grabbed two goals it left the Light Blues fearing the worst for the return leg in the Bulgarian capital. Disaster duly struck when Nikolay Todorov knocked Smith’s side out of the competition with a last-gasp 91st-minute winner.
1994 vs AEK Athens - 3-0 defeat on aggregate
Rangers travelled to the Greek capital in stifling 30 degree-plus conditions. Earlier that summer, they had pushed the boat out to sign European Cup winner Basile Boli and Danish hero Brian Laudrup. Boli missed the first leg, with boss Smith deciding to start the game with a makeshift three-man defence.
However, the new-look backline proved no match for an in-form AEK outfit who could easily have scored more goals were it not for some Andy Goram heroics. A brace from 33-year-old AEK debutant Dimitris Saravakos left Rangers hopes hanging by a thread and things went from bad to worse in Govan as Toni Savevski’s winner sealed their fate.
2008 vs Kaunas - 2-1 defeat on aggregate
The Gers came into this tie with lofty ambitions having reached the UEFA Cup final the season before. Just 77 days on from the agonising defeat to Russian giants Zenit St Petersburg in Manchester, Rangers were back in European action against the Lithuanians. But they flattered to deceive in a first leg that marked Kenny Miller’s first game back at the club after his controversial spell at Old Firm rivals Celtic.
The returned leg seemed to offer more positivity after Kevin Thomson’s opener put the visitors in front, but Nerijus Radzius’ free-kick and a late Linas Pilibaitis strike handing Kaunas a dramatic victory.
2011 vs Malmo - 2-1 defeat on aggregate
Ally McCoist had been appointed as the club’s new manager following Craig Whyte’s takeover by the time they lined up against the Swedes.
Supporters didn’t yet know the full scale of the shocking financial troubles that were mounting behind the scenes at Ibrox. And hopes of progression in Europe were dashed when Daniel Larsson fired Malmo ahead at Ibrox, with Nikica Jelavic’s second-leg goal only enough to secure a draw in Sweden. Red cards for Steven Whittaker and Madjid Bougherra also left a sour taste in the mouth.
2022 vs Malmo - 4-2 defeat on aggregate
11 years on and Malmo came back to haunt Steven Gerrard’s rejuvenated Gers, who were in buoyant mood and aiming to bank the £40million UCL payment after storming to their first league title in a decade.
Instead, a shock 2-1 defeat at the Eleda Stadion was followed by a repeat score line in Glasgow as future Ibrox striker Antonio Colak notched a double to give the 10-man Swedes victory. They did recover from that setback by setting out all the way to the Europa League final in Seville.
2024 vs Dynamo Kyiv - 3-1 defeat on aggregate
The alarm bells were sounding before a ball had been kicked against the Ukrainians. Belgian boss Philippe Clement knew he needed to offload his high earners before he could add to his squad, while a construction blunder on the Copland Road Stand renovation works forced Rangers to start the season at their temporary home, Hampden Park.
Cyriel Dessers’ late leveller in Lublin meant the tie was level after the first leg, But without the famous Ibrox atmosphere, Clement’s men produced a woeful display. Kyiv took full advantage of Jefte’s controversial sending off to net twice in the closing stages through Oleksandr Pikhalyonok and Nazar Voloshyn.