Europa League Qualifying - 2nd Leg
Progrès NiederkornProgrès Niederkorn2RangersRangers0

Progres Niederkorn 2-0 Rangers (agg 2-1)

Progres Niederkorn
Progres Niederkorn had scored only one goal in Europe before Tuesday's match

Rangers suffered one of their worst ever results as they were knocked out of the Europa League qualifiers by Luxembourg minnows Progres Niederkorn.

The Ibrox side took a 1-0 first-leg lead to Luxembourg but fell behind to a second-half Emmanuel Francoise finish.

Sebastian Thill sealed progress, scoring only the third European goal in the minnows' history to secure their first ever win in Europe.

Niko Kranjcar, Josh Windass and Kenny Miller hit the woodwork for Rangers.

But the Ibrox men had failed to dominate the game the way they had in the first leg, ensuring their first foray into Europe for six years was short-lived as they went out in the first qualifier.

Boss Pedro Caixinha brought Daniel Candeias, Alfredo Morelos and Jordan Rossiter into his starting line-up as he looked for more of a cutting edge in the second leg.

The visitors had the bulk of the early possession but again lacked the final pass that could punish Progres.

Miller had a shot blocked following a Kranjcar corner but it was all too untidy in the last third.

That seemed to give the hosts the confidence they had lacked in the first half at Ibrox, with Olivier Thill curling a long-range free-kick narrowly wide with goalkeeper Wes Foderingham struggling to get across.

Sebastian Thill
Sebastian Thill struck the second goal that sealed victory for Progres

Miller was inches away from connecting with a Lee Wallace cross but it was at the other end where the chances started to come.

Mike Schneider hit one over the bar when in a good position before the home side came very close. Olivier Thill drove forward and fired a long-range shot that had Foderingham beaten but slid just wide.

The second half started with Progres going even closer, this time Francoise bursting clear on the right and drilling a low effort towards the corner that Foderingham saved brilliantly.

As the second half wore on the home side looked the more threatening, with a few nerves evident in the visiting defence.

Home keeper Sebastian Flauss had gone off injured in the first half but Rangers failed to test stand-in Charly Schinker until after the hour, when Ryan Jack's close-range header was directed straight at him.

Moments later Caixinha's side almost grabbed a crucial away goal as Wallace sent in a cross that Kranjcar headed off the bar.

Then came the opener for Progres as Olivier Thill crossed for Francoise to finish at the near post.

The second arrived soon after as Sebastian Thill curled a free-kick into the box that evaded everyone and crept in at the back post.

Rangers rallied in the closing minutes with Windass' diving header coming back off the bar before Miller, in stoppage time, lobbed an effort off the face of the bar.

There was no way through though, and the visitors slumped to a shocking result.

Analysis of Rangers' shock Euro exit

BBC Scotland senior football reporter Chris McLaughlin

"For the Rangers fans it's humiliating. For the players, humbling, and when the dust settles on what some are calling the worst result in the club's history there will be huge questions to answer for the Rangers board and manager Pedro Caixinha.

Pedro Caixinha
Manager Pedro Caixinha will be in the spotlight after his side's Europa League exit at the first hurdle

"Where some saw the appointment of the Portuguese last year as a gamble, the Ibrox board believed it to be progressive. They had patience in their man despite a poor start to his managerial career in Scotland. They backed him with significant funds to rebuild and get Rangers back to where they wanted to be. And where they wanted to be was the group stages of the Europa League.

"Now that has gone, they must count the cost. Caixinha's squad may well improve and they may even go on to close the gap on Celtic in the season ahead, but falling at the first hurdle in Europe is a massive blow financially and psychologically.

"Chairman Dave King has continually pointed to funds gained through European football as being key to them closing the gap on their rivals and now that badly needed revenue stream has gone before the season has even started. Only those providing the loans will know the true cost and implications of that.

"It's not the only thing being cut unexpectedly though. The window of goodwill for the new manager has just been slashed drastically. Caixinha needs a blistering start to the season or he and his new recruits could be under serious pressure."

Line-ups

Progrès Niederkorn

  • 1FlaussSubstituted forSchinkerat 33'minutes
  • 10ThillBooked at 42minsSubstituted forVogelat 78'minutes
  • 23Ferino
  • 11Schneider
  • 16Watzka
  • 31Thill
  • 25Lafon
  • 87KarapetyanSubstituted forFioraniat 84'minutes
  • 14Françoise
  • 70Matias Marques
  • 38KarayerBooked at 69mins

Substitutes

  • 5Vogel
  • 7Borges Magalhaes
  • 9Sully
  • 13Schinker
  • 17Marques Soares
  • 20Mastrangelo
  • 27Fiorani

Rangers

  • 1Foderingham
  • 9Miller
  • 2Tavernier
  • 4Cardoso
  • 8Jack
  • 18RossiterSubstituted forHerreraat 77'minutes
  • 5Wallace
  • 24Bates
  • 19Kranjcar
  • 20MorelosSubstituted forDálcioat 45'minutes
  • 21CandeiasSubstituted forWindassat 58'minutes

Substitutes

  • 7Dálcio
  • 11Windass
  • 15Herrera
  • 23Holt
  • 25Alnwick
  • 33Waghorn
  • 40McCrorie
Referee:
Vilhjalmur Thorarinsson
Attendance:
5,534

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Scores, Results & Fixtures

Tuesday 4th July 2017

As It Stood

A

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1Fenerbahçe641186213
2Man Utd6402124812
3Feyenoord621337-47
4Zorya Luhansk602428-62

B

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Apoel Nicosia640286212
2Olympiakos62227618
3BSC Young Boys62227438
4FC Astana6123511-65

C

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Saint-Étienne633085312
2Anderlecht6321168811
3Mainz6231810-29
4FK Qabala6006514-90

D

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Zenit St Petersburg6501178915
2AZ Alkmaar6222610-48
3Maccabi Tel-Aviv621379-27
4Dundalk611458-34

E

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Roma6330167912
2Astra Giurgiu6222710-38
3Viktoria Plzen6132710-36
4Austria Vienna61231114-35

F

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1KRC Genk6402139412
2Ath Bilbao63121011-110
3Rapid Vienna613278-16
4Sassuolo6123911-25

G

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Ajax6420116514
2Celta Vigo623110739
3Standard Liege61418627
4Panathinaikos6015313-101

H

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Shakhtar Donetsk66002151618
2KAA Gent6222913-48
3Sporting Braga6132911-26
4Konyaspor6015212-101

I

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Schalke650193615
2FK Krasnodar62138807
3RB Salzburg62136607
4Nice6204511-66

J

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Fiorentina6411156913
2PAOK Salonika631276110
3FK Qarabag6213712-57
4Slovan Liberec6114712-54

K

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Sparta Prague640286212
2Hapoel Be'er Sheva62226608
3Southampton62226428
4Inter Milan6204711-46

L

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Osmanlispor6312107310
2Villarreal62319819
3FC Zürich613257-26
4FCSB613257-26
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