Club Brugge Pulverise 10-man Rangers To Heap Misery On Russell Martin

The Old Firm derby connected Sunday will person Europa League teams. If Celtic person heavy regrets complete misfires successful Kazakhstan, Rangers endured a nighttime of near-historic shame successful Belgium, utterly incapable of recovering from nan first‑leg performance. By opposition to this scary show, that nighttime of blunder was a creditable showing. Russell Martin’s squad made it truthful elemental for an admittedly high-class Brugge side.

On Martin nan assemblage is out, his winless commencement to nan home play followed by this nightmare. The erstwhile Southampton manager’s stewardship is successful sedate threat aft 10 games successful charge. The consequence of nan club’s caller 49ers ownership, for whom Martin was nan first managerial appointment, is keenly awaited. The depths to which Rangers plunged, peculiarly successful nan first half, made a insult of his continued self-belief, his proclamations that his is nan only measurement forward.

Martin’s squad action was, he said, custom-designed to trim nan two‑goal shortage from Ibrox. Leaving Nico Raskin, James Tavernier and Cyriel Dessers connected nan chair was a determination unfastened to a different interpretation. Hamza Igamane was absent, presumably headed for Lille.

Brugge attempted to decorativeness nan necktie arsenic soon arsenic possible. It proved each excessively easy. Carlos Forbs’s tally and Jayden Meghoma’s early bookable offence was an early informing motion unheeded. In nan 5th minute, Nicolò Tresoldi nodded successful aft a statuesque Rangers defence allowed an overlapping Joaquin Seys to transverse from nan left.

To compound early disaster came precocious farce erstwhile Max Aarons recovered himself retired of position. His solution? To haul backmost Christos Tzolis, Brugge’s dangerman, for an indisputable consecutive red. Martin sent connected Tavernier, attempting to extremity nan bloodletting pinch nan diligent already agelong dead.

Rangers’ misery piles up arsenic Hans Vanaken scores. Photograph: Soccrates Images/Getty Images

Brugge ruthlessly turned nan screw, Tzolis striking nan woodwork via Jack Butland’s fingertips. The Rangers goalkeeper was near unprotected arsenic Hans Vanaken, nan veteran, nodded successful Tzolis’s header, past struck nan woodwork pinch a volley arsenic nan onslaught continued. Seys made it 3 connected different overlap, past scored a fourth, unmarked astatine nan backmost post. Aleksandar Stankovic’s header made it five, nan protect no-show continuing.

For each nan dreadfulness of Rangers, Brugge showed disconnected overmuch to augment nan increasing estimation of Belgian nine shot pinch nan value of their attacking, echoing their decent showing successful past season’s group shape and knockouts. Martin made 3 half-time changes, including Raskin’s introduction. “Everyone needs to beryllium ready,” he had said pre-match. The starting squad had included 8 summertime signings made nether nan caller manager. Those second‑half arrivals would person to stock successful nan shame. Tzolis, understandably coveted crossed Europe, soon scored nan sixth, seizing connected Tresoldi’s showboat backheel. Just arsenic successful nan first half, Rangers were a extremity down aft 5 minutes of nan second.

Historic ugliness approached. The club‑record European defeats, 6-0 against Real Madrid successful 1960, 7-1 by Liverpool successful 2022, were successful threat of being surpassed, Martin’s players appearing incapable of avoiding specified ignominy aliases protecting their ain reputations. Relief from being nan worst of each nights laic only successful Brugge stepping disconnected nan gait alternatively than immoderate Rangers improvement.