Rangers’ Europa League campaign ended at the qualifying stage as Derek McInnes’ winless start as manager continued with a 1-1 draw against Jagiellonia Białystok at Ibrox.
The Polish side progressed 3-2 on aggregate, sending Rangers into the Conference League after Nik Prelec’s second-half header settled the tie. The result extended McInnes’ difficult return to Glasgow to a fourth game without a victory and prompted boos from the home support at full-time.
Rangers had begun the night needing to overturn a 2-1 deficit from the first leg, and they made the ideal start when Lawrence Shankland converted a penalty inside the opening 20 minutes.
Former Celtic defender Yuki Kobayashi was penalised after a VAR review found that he had handled the ball inside his own penalty area. Shankland, who joined Rangers from Hearts during the summer, made no mistake from 12 yards to score his first goal for the club.
The hosts appeared capable of building on that momentum before the interval. Thelo Aasgaard sent an effort narrowly wide, while Ryan Naderi also came close as Rangers pressed for a second goal that would have put them ahead in the tie.
However, the home side’s performance faded after the break. Ten minutes into the second half, Prelec met a cross with a header to restore Jagiellonia Białystok’s advantage on aggregate.
Prelec had scored only once in 24 appearances for Oxford, then a Championship side, last season, but his goal proved decisive as Rangers struggled to respond.
McInnes’ players showed plenty of effort in search of the goal they needed, but their attacks lacked the quality to seriously trouble Jagiellonia Białystok goalkeeper Slawomir Abramowicz in the second half.
The visitors held firm to secure a 3-2 aggregate victory and leave Rangers facing an early European setback. The defeat was their earliest exit from the Europa League since 2017.
For McInnes, the result marked the lowest point yet of a difficult beginning to his time in charge. Rangers had entered the second leg with a realistic chance of recovering from their first-leg defeat, but after Shankland’s penalty gave them control on the night, they were unable to turn their early pressure into a decisive advantage.
Instead, Prelec’s header proved enough to send Jagiellonia Białystok through, while Rangers were left to contemplate a move into the Conference League and the displeasure of supporters around Ibrox.
