Kris Boyd outraged by ’embarrassing’ Rangers scenes in Champions League loss v Club Brugge
Rangers saw their hopes of reaching the Champions League dealt a huge blow as they were beaten 3-1 at home by Club Brugge on Tuesday night.
Goals from Romeo Vermant, Jorne Spileers and Brandon Mechele capped off a dire opening 20 minutes for the Gers, who were unable to claw their way back into the game, despite a second half strike from Danilo.
Rangers could have benefitted hugely from a Champions League run, but their hopes of reaching the league phase are now in tatters.
Russell Martin’s side have been inconsistent at best so far in 2025/26, but this was undoubtedly their lowest moment so far.
Kris Boyd embarrassed by Rangers first half
Kris Boyd expressed his fears for Rangers before kickoff at Ibrox on Tuesday night, as Martin’s men lined up for the toughest test of their European campaign so far.
They had produced when it mattered to fight their way past Panathinaikos and Viktoria Plzen in the early rounds, but the Gers ultimately pressed the self-destruct button just one round away from the all-important league phase.
The Govan outfit were largely masters of their own downfall in a catastrophic first half display, which has surely condemned them already in the tie.
Boyd was outraged by the performance, and he made his feelings perfectly clear live on Sky Sports News’ coverage with Rangers 3-0 down with 40 minutes on the clock.
“It’s been absolutely embarrassing from Rangers,” the former Gers striker said.
“You speak about players coming to the football club to play in big games and European games.
“This has been the total opposite, they’re absolutely all over the place. It’s as if some players haven’t touched a ball before. Rangers are so disjointed.”
The Gers’ Champions League hopes are over
Rangers saw first hand how hard it is to come back from a three-goal deficit in the previous round, when they took an identical advantage to Plzen for the second leg.
- Second Qualifying Round – Rangers beat Panathinaikos 3-1 on aggregate
- Third Qualifying Round – Rangers beat Viktoria Plzen 4-2 on aggregate
- Play-off Round – Rangers 3-1 down to Club Brugge heading into second leg
Their hosts toiled away and largely dominated the game, but were unable to significantly eat into the lead that had been built up on the opening night.
In that position, teams simply need absolutely everything to fall in their favour for 90 minutes, and must combine clinical finishing with an immaculate defensive showing.
That is something that the Ibrox outfit have looked completely incapable of so far, and as a result, it is fair to say that their hopes of taking their European adventure to the next stage have now completely evaporated.
It was also the kind of display that will heap yet more pressure on Martin, and the boss will be undoubtedly feeling the heat after his team’s latest disappointment.
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