Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst admitted was side were “a bit lucky” to only lose 2-0, while former Ibrox striker Mark Hateley struggled to recall a more abject performance under the Dutchman.
Just 77 days after the club’s incredible Europa League campaign culminated in gut-wrenching final defeat by Eintracht Frankurt, new-look Rangers were left staring into the Champions League abyss.
Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise did not just beat Rangers, they outplayed them in a stadium that is not even their own, having shifted the game to OH Leuven’s 10,000-capacity Den Dreef because their ground does not meet Uefa requirements.
Teddy Teuma’s first-half strike and Dante Vanzeir’s penalty give the Ibrox side – who fell at the same stage last season to Malmo – a huge rescue mission in next Tuesday’s second leg if they are to progress to the Champions League play-off round.
“I’m very, very disappointed, especially as our performance wasn’t at the level it normally is,” Van Bronckhorst told BBC Scotland.
“We need to change it around big time. You try to change personnel to change the game, but overall we had too many below their usual performance, which makes it really hard to play as a unit.
“That was our biggest problem. That’s the biggest thing that needs to change if we are to go through next week.”
Colak ‘a waste of time’ as Rangers misfire
Rangers were a shadow of the side that reached the Europa League final. Just six of the players who had started the Seville showpiece in May were part of the XI in Leuven, with Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo sold while Ryan Kent was injured and Alfredo Morelos is still battling back to fitness.
Those attacking casualties were sorely felt with the front three of Malik Tillman, Rabbi Matondo and Antonio Colak – all signed this summer – ineffectual. In defence, the deployment of John Lundstram in a makeshift central three deprived Rangers of one of their most commanding midfielders.
Former Bayern Munich forward Tillman mirrored his team in starting brightly before fading, while Colak had Rangers’ best glimpse of goal, failing to connect with a dangerous Tillman cross.
Hateley says Croatia striker Colak, who arrived from Greek side PAOK, has to offer much more.
“Colak for me was a waste of time basically,” he told BBC Scotland. “The first option should be into your central striker. If Morelos is playing there the ball goes into him.
“Colak didn’t demand the ball. You’ve got to be asking more of your centre forwards, especially when you’re playing away from home in Europe.
“From 25 minutes onwards it was a poor, poor show from Rangers. They were just a nonentity tonight. It is one of the poorest, most ineffective games I’ve seen Rangers play under Giovanni.”
Van Bronckhorst banks on Ibrox factor
Former Rangers defender Richard Foster believes Van Bronckhorst’s side can turn the tie around at a packed Ibrox – where Sparta Prague, Brondby, Red Star Belgrade, Braga and RB Leipzig were all defeated in last season’s Europa run.
Huge improvement will be required, though.
“Rangers are more than capable of coming back in this tie at home, but they are going to need to do something because they really struggle when a team sits in against them,” said Foster.
“Union dropped to a 5-3-2 and Rangers had no answer for them. It was like they ran out of ideas and that would be a worry if I was Van Bronckhorst.”
The Rangers manager was “surprised” at the referee’s decision to award a penalty – after a VAR intervention – when the ball deflected on to Connor Goldson’s arm at close range, allowing Union to double their lead.
But he knows his side’s plight could have been far worse had Jon McLaughlin not made a massive late save before James Tavernier’s goal-line clearance in injury time.
“We are still in the tie,” Van Bronckhorst told Premier Sports. “A 2-0 difference. We are capable of making that up at Ibrox on Tuesday but first of all we need to concentrate on our performance and if we have the same performance then we have no chance.”
