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Thursday, August 27, 2026

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Jablonec 1-0 Rangers (1-1 agg, 4-3 pens): Derek McInnes' woeful Gers fail to qualify for Conference League

Report as Rangers fail to qualify for Conference League; Vakhtang Tchanturishvili's equaliser for Jablonec took the tie to penalties; Findlay Curtis and James Penrice missed their spot kicks; it is the first time Rangers have failed to secure European football since 2017

· 934 words· updated August 27, 2026 at 05:11 PM

Leading 1-0 from the first leg at Ibrox last week, Derek McInnes' side turned in a woeful performance in the Czech Republic which lacked creativity and invention, and it proved costly.

Asked how he felt about their humiliation, manager Derek McInnes said: "I'm embarrassed and I'm so disappointed that we've been emptied out of Europe without really turning up and that isn't good enough."

A half-time reboot, involving a move to a different shape and the introduction of skipper Lawrence Shankland, Connor Barron and Findlay Curtis, did little to improve their play and Jablonec midfielder Vakhtang Chanturishvili deservedly levelled the tie in the 73rd minute with a drive which took the game to 1-1 on aggregate, and into extra-time.

There were no more goals which brought penalties, and although Gers keeper Ivor Pandur saved from Filip Zorvan, Curtis fired his spot-kick over the bar and James Penrice was thwarted by Jablonec 'keeper Jan Hanus, leaving Jan Chramosta to fire in the decisive kick.

The defeat is a huge blow to the Glasgow side, who were knocked out of the Europa League qualifiers by Polish side Jagiellonia Bialystok and whose massive rebuild under McInnes is struggling to get off the ground.

It means a team who have impressed in recent times in the Europa League will be without European group stage football for the first time in almost a decade.

The key moments from the Stadion Strelnice

8: CHANCE! Jawo sends a cross into the box, Rangers fail to react but Suchan sends it wide.

13: WIDE! Jawo picks up the ball inside the box but somehow puts it past the post.

20: SAVE! Chukwuani rises to meet Penrice's cross. His header is saved by Hanus.

28: SAVE! Rangers goalkeeper Ivan Pandur punches a cross clear. Jawo wins the ball and his header is then saved.

37: CHANCE! Rangers stand off Jablonec again, allowing Polidar to get a shot away from just inside the box.

49: SAVE! A well-worked corner from Jablonec finds Suchan at the back post. Pandur saves.

51: BLOCK! Shankland is in the right position to meet Naderi's cross, but his effort is blocked.

74: GOAL JABLONEC! Chanturishvili picks up a loose ball, turns and smashes the ball past Pandur.

85: CHANCE! Rangers switch off again as Jablonec take a quick free-kick. It falls to Nebyla, who fires well off target.

90+2: CORNER! Good defending by Makhanya as he sends Chanturishvili's effort past for a corner.

97: CHANCE! Rusek takes aim from distance. It flies wide, but Jablonec are at least having a go!

107: JUST WIDE! Chramosta drags an effort just wide of the post for the hosts.

117: BIG SAVE! Fernandez is slow to react, but Pandur gets down to deny Novak.

119: OVER! Shankland gets his head to Aasgaard's ball into the box, but it's deflected over the bar.

Rangers manager Derek McInnes speaking to Rangers TV:

"So embarrassed with it because we should be winning this tie and there's no two ways about it.

"We could have nicked it in penalties and got through it, which we would have took gladly, but we were way off it and I have to be totally honest with that.

"I'm here to help my players, I want my players to be so much better than what they were tonight.

"I thought we looked young at times, I thought we lacked aggression.

"The responsibility is mine but it's a responsibility shared tonight.

"And for that, I'm embarrassed and I'm so disappointed that we've been emptied out of Europe without really turning up and that isn't good enough."

"Embarrassing. Really, really, really poor from Rangers.

"I don't know where this leaves Derek McInnes.

"Rangers have chopped and changed managers for a number of years now, but looking at this performance there is no connection with the players.

"There is no trust, quite clearly. You can see that with the amount of changes that have been made from game to game.

"If you go back to the last round, were really poor then, but you would put it down to some new players coming in and trying to work with them.

"They look as if there's absolutely no style to anything Rangers are doing. The chopping and changing, one minute playing a back four, the next minute they're playing a back three.

"There is zero trust from the manager towards the players. Now the players just look as if they're all over the place. No confidence.

"I do not know where this leaves Derek McInnes now. It might be that a change is needed once again."

After lacklustre displays like this why should we have high hopes? I think performances like this are ones to worry about, big questions are needed for the manager after this.

Why did McInnes play that team? It was one of the poorest games I've ever seen. McInnes has to go!

Absolute disgrace. Worst European result in the club's history. All comes down to the signings and the people making these decisions not being fit for purpose. We are signing bang average overpriced players. Pathetic.

Get Gerrard back. Derek has no clue how to manage a big club, out of his depth and no plan B. No plan A either.

Making Russell Martin look good at this rate.

Is this the most embarrassing night in Rangers history?

Can I please ask a Rangers fan if they have seen a worse Rangers team? I don't think so!

It is domestic football only for Rangers this season now. They face Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.

Gathered from external sources. Rights to this text belong to whoever originally published it.