August 30 (THEWILL) – Rangers’ hopes of reaching the UEFA Champions League group stage were emphatically ended by PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday, with the Dutch side running out comfortable 5-1 winners in the second leg to progress 7-3 on aggregate.
Despite drawing 2-2 in the first leg at Ibrox last week, Rangers were firmly on the back foot from the outset at the Philips Stadion. PSV took the lead in the 35 minutes when Ismael Saibari headed in before the Moroccan grabbed his second shortly after halftime.
James Tavernier pulled a goal back to give Rangers brief hope, but PSV captain Luuk de Jong quickly restored the two-goal cushion with another headed finish. Further strikes from Joey Veerman and an own goal from Connor Goldson rounded off a miserable night for the Scottish side.
With injuries depleting their ranks, Rangers lacked attacking threats for most of the match. Their main striker, Nigerian forward, Cyriel Dessers, was unable to add to his first-leg goal before being substituted, but his side were still comprehensively outplayed by a slick PSV outfit.
The defeat means Rangers drop into the Europa League group stage, while PSV take their place in Thursday night’s UCL draw. After the heroics of last season’s Europa League run, it marks a stark European reality check for manager Michael Beale in his early days in charge of the Light Blues.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
