McInnes 'Mortified' as Rangers Crash Out of Europe in Penalty Heartbreak!

Rangers manager Derek McInnes has openly declared himself "mortified" and taken "full responsibility" for the club's "embarrassing" exit from the Conference League. The Glasgow giants crashed out of Europe after a gut-wrenching 4-3 penalty shootout defeat to Czech side Jablonec on Thursday, following a 1-0 lead from the first leg. The dramatic second leg, played in the Czech Republic, saw Rangers ultimately lose their advantage.

During the crucial penalty shootout, McInnes's side initially held an early lead, but the opportunity slipped away when Findlay Curtis and James Penrice both missed their final two penalties. This premature European exit means Rangers will be without continental football beyond August for the first time since their 2017 defeat to Progres Niederkorn. Addressing the media, McInnes did not mince words about the team's performance.

"I'm embarrassed with the performance," he stated.

The only people who represented the club well tonight were my staff and the supporters who were outstanding, getting behind the team despite watching what we all watched.

He added, "I'm not going to make any excuses.

Yes there's been a big turnover of players, yes we looked inexperienced at times but the responsibility is mine to make sure we're better than what we served up tonight.

This latest setback significantly ratchets up the pressure on McInnes, whose tenure at Ibrox has seen a challenging start, including another Europa League exit against Jagiellonia Bialystok and mixed results in their opening Premiership games. Statistics from the match painted a stark picture, with Rangers managing just over 46% possession and a solitary shot on target during the 120 minutes, highlighting a performance that, in McInnes's own words,

lacked in everything."

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