Rangers crash out of Conference League in shootout loss to Czech side Jablonec

Rangers were left reeling as they crashed out of the Uefa Conference League playoffs with a 4-3 penalty shoot-out defeat to Jablonec.

Leading 1-0 from the first leg at Ibrox last week, Derek McInnes’s side turned in a turgid performance in Czechia which lacked creativity and invention. It proved costly as they fell to a 1-0 defeat at Stadion Strelnice, drawing 1-1 on aggregate after extra time to set up the final shootout.

Despite McInnes introducing Lawrence Shankland, Connor Barron and Findlay Curtis in the second half, Rangers could not get a foothold in the game. The Jablonec midfielder Vakhtang Chanturishvili deservedly levelled the tie in the 73rd minute with a low drive to beat Rangers keeper Ivor Pandur.

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

The defeat is a huge blow to Rangers, who were knocked out of the Europa League qualifiers by Polish side Jagiellonia Bialystok, losing 3-2 on aggregate. The club’s massive rebuild under McInnes is struggling to get off the ground, and now their European campaign is over while still in August.

Motherwell were left to rue another costly red card as their European adventure ended with a 4-1 defeat away to Freiburg in the Conference League playoffs.

A week after Martin Moormann’s sending off paved the way for last season’s Europa League finalist to win 3-1 in the first leg, Well had Jake Girdwood-Reich dismissed just before the hour mark with the second leg in Germany still level at 1-1.

Emmanuel Longelo’s equaliser, following a blunder from home goalkeeper Mio Backhaus, cancelled out an early opener from Derry Scherhant. The visitors’ hopes of emerging unscathed from a formidable away trip were dashed as goals from Igor Matanovic, Cyriaque Irie and Keisuke Goto secured a 7-2 aggregate win.