Rangers lost 4-3 on penalties to FK Jablonec at Stadion Strelnice after the tie finished 1-1 on aggregate. They had led 1-0 from the first leg at Ibrox last week, but the second leg went flat and ended with Findlay Curtis firing over in the shoot-out. It was another European exit, and the rebuild under Derek McInnes is already looking fragile.

Rangers' European run is still dragging them down

The scale of the problem is bigger than one missed penalty. Rangers' 2025 European campaign ended with one win, one draw and six defeats in eight matches, a run that sits awkwardly beside the club's second-place finish in the 2025 Premiership on 69 points.

That is why this defeat lands badly. A side that ended last season with five straight league games of one win and four losses has now taken another hit in Europe, and the sense is the same one that has followed them through the year: uneven, loose, and still not settled.

Derek McInnes was quoted by rte.ie saying: "The defeat is a huge blow to the Govan 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."

That lines up with the wider run. Rangers have one win in their last five matches, with two draws and two defeats, which is not the profile of a team finding momentum before a European qualifier.

Jablonec handled the decisive moments better

Jablonec did not need to dominate to win the tie. V. Tchanturishvili levelled it in the 73rd minute to force extra-time, and Ivor Pandur later saved from Filip Zorvan in the shoot-out.

Rangers still had a chance after that, but Curtis missed high and J. Chramosta converted the decisive kick for Jablonec. Their recent run, with two draws and two defeats among their last five results, fits the kind of awkward, tight night they dragged Rangers into and finished on penalties.

The main point for Rangers is simple enough. They were in front from the first leg, they did not manage the second leg well enough, and they are now out of Europe again before the season has properly settled. The rebuild is not finished, but these results are starting to ask the same question after every setback.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →