UEFA Champions League Qualifiers: Rangers crash out after 4-2 defeat against Malmo

Rangers FC will not be taking part in the upcoming edition of the UEFA Champions League after having lost to Malmo FF in their third qualifying round tie. They entered the second leg on the back of a two-game losing streak, including the first leg 2-1 loss, and started the game strongly but could not hold on to their advantage.

The Scottish champions levelled the tie on aggregate with the help of Alfredo Morelos who was at the end of a Ryan Kent cross to force the ball over the line as the Ibrox (stadium) rocked with the fans celebrating. Rangers kept on attacking but Malmo did well to hang on as late in the first half they found a little bit of attacking rhythm.

On the stroke of half-time, Malmo's Bonke Innocent and Rangers' Connor Goldson both went for the ball with high boots but Goldson fell to the ground and handed the Malmo man his second yellow card of the night to be sent off.

It seemed as if it was the perfect moment now as Malmo were reduced to 10-men, however, that was not to be the case as within four minutes Steven Gerrard's side was torn apart. Antonio Colak received a wonderfully angled ball from Veljko Birmancevic who finished well to put it past Allan McGregor. 

And then soon after Colak received a long throw-in from Niklas Moisander and put the ball into the back of the net at the near post to give Malmo the lead 2-1 on the night and 4-2 on aggregate.

The three defeats in a row has cost Rangers a place among Europe's top clubs and ended their 40-game unbeaten Scottish Premiership run after they lost to Dundee United on Saturday, August 7.

'Fear and panic set in' says Steven Gerrard

Rangers' head coach Gerrard talked about their performance to Premier Sports saying, "We did really well for 45 minutes, but we got two restarts badly wrong and paid for it," the manager told Premier Sports. The most frustrating part is we've lost the second half to 10 men. To be 1-0 up and then go 2-1 down, a bit of fear and panic set in. We've got the second-half performance wrong and that's on all of us."

Now a Europa League play-off awaits against Kazakhstan's Kairat Almaty or Alashkert of Armenia next week as Rangers became the second Scottish side to be knocked out - after Celtic's defeat against Denmark's FC Midtjylland.

Image: @Malmo_FF/Twitter