Philippe Clement called on his Rangers players to “embrace the challenge” and “finish the job” against Dynamo Kyiv by inspiring a home crowd - but this quickly escalated into a Hampden horror show on a night of bitter disappointment.
After a 1-1 first-leg draw in Lublin last week, it was a case of winner takes all at the national stadium for a spot in the play-off round against Red Bull Salzburg - who earlier in the day had beaten FC Twente 5-4 on aggregate. The visitors looked far from convincing in the opening minutes, playing their way into trouble with goalkeeper Heorhiy Bushchan flapping at a cross before Cyriel Dessers failed to get a shot away.
A quarter of stadium lay empty and while the singing section did their utmost to create a lively atmosphere, it was night and day from what this crucial encounter would’ve been like had the fixture been played at Ibrox. And there was an early hair-raising moment for the home support after nine minutes when captain James Tavernier was beaten far too easily in a one-v-one against Vladyslav Kabaiev. The winger raced into the box and flashed a dangerous low ball across but there were no takers.
Chances were few and far between in the first-half. A trademark Tavernier delivery almost resulted in the opener after finding Jefte at the back-post, but the Brazilian - playing in a more advanced position - wasn’t able to prevent his header from rising over the bar.
Rangers were pressing high and forcing the Ukrainian side into some mistakes, but Bushchan was largely untested. A quick counter-attack saw Dessers' slip a perfectly-weighted pass through for Ross McCausland on 34 minutes, but the winger’s tried to guide a rather tam effort into far corner, which the visiting keeper managed to push away to safety.
This was a really cagey affair. A lot of slack play and “little to write home about” in the words of BBC pundit and former Gers goalkeeper Allan McGregor as the half-time whistle sounded. There was very little to separate the two sides and it felt increasingly likely that one moment of quality could win the tie.
The home support needed a massive lift and Saturday’s star of the show Vaclav Cerny was the man Clement turned to at half-time to inject more quality into his team’s performance, with McCausland surprisingly the player sacrificed. That proved to be a fateful error by the Gers boss.
With Jefte already walking a tightrope after picking up a first-half booking, he was given his marching orders by Italian referee Marco Guida five minutes after the restart. The decision looked rather harsh, with the player deemed to have left too much on his marker as he challenged to win a header. That was despite the 20-year-old getting to the ball first as he trudged down the tunnel in disbelief.
A defining moment and one that would ultimately prove very costly. You could sense Rangers fans’ patience was starting to wear thin and they survived another major scare when Oleksandr Karaviev found himself clean through on goal. He seemed caught in to minds over whether to square the ball to a teammate or pull the trigger, allowing John Souttar just enough time to producing a goal-saving challenge by forcing the Ukrainian to drag a dismal shot wide of the target. A big let-off.
With their man advantage, Dynamo were beginning to crank up the pressure and ask questions of the Gers rearguard as the clock ticked towards the 70th minute. Things went from bad to worse for the hosts when left-back Ridvan Yilmaz had to be carried off on a stretcher after going to ground holding his thigh moments after seeing a ferocious strike superbly blocked.
And Hampden Park was silenced minutes later when substitute Oleksandr Pikhalyonok cut inside from the right flank before steering a shot beyond Jack Butland into the bottom-left corner. Rangers had collapsed in dramatic style and it was another substitute - Nazar Voloshyn - who delivered a late hammer blow following a clever cut back to plunge a dagger into hearts of the Gers’ shattered players.
Fans started to flood for the exits in their droves as the Light Blues tried to muster up an opportunity. But there was nothing forthcoming and, in truth, Kyiv should’ve added a third in stoppage time. A lapse in concentration saw Butland’s slack pass out from the back cannon off Souttar and into the path of Vladyslav Vanat, but the keeper made amends by turning the ball behind for a corner. A chorus of boos rang out at full-time as Rangers dream of qualifying for the Champions League group phase was ended in devastating fashion for a second successive year. Here’s how we rated the players at Hampden Park.
9. Ross McCausland - 6/10
Had some bright moments and arguably the best chance of a poor first-half. Took a sore one under Karavaev's first-half challenge. Played through on goal by Dessers but tame shot was parried away to safety by the keeper. Showed good energy and drive. Subbed off rather surprisingly at the break. | Getty Images
10. Cyriel Dessers - 6/10
Almost found himself clean through on goal inside the opening two mins. Failed to get his shot away moments later. Headed effort comfortably held by the keeper. Excellent pass through for McCausland which led to a good chance. Saw a goal-bound close-range strike blocked superbly midway through the second half. Fed off scraps from then on. | Getty Images
11. Vaclav Cerny (SUB) - 4/10
Replaced McCausland at half-time, much to the delight of the home fans. Did well to dance into the penalty area and pick out Dessers, his one moment of real quality. | Getty Images
12. Dujon Sterling (SUB) - 3/10
Introduced for Diomande after 67 mins. Had to protect the midfield when they went down to ten men | SNS Group