Club Brugge 6-0 Rangers (9-1 agg): Rangers crash out of Champions League after humiliation in Bruges | OneFootball

Rangers’ Champions League campaign ended in disaster as Russell Martin’s side were thrashed 6-0 by Club Brugge, completing a 9-1 aggregate defeat. Nicolò Tresoldi, Hans Vanaken, Joaquin Seys, Aleksandar Stanković and Christos Tzolis all struck as the Belgian champions inflicted Rangers’ joint-heaviest European defeat.

The result leaves Rangers out of the Champions League before the league phase once again, with a huge game against Celtic looming in the first Old Firm derby of the season this Sunday.

As it happened

Club Brugge needed less than five minutes to break the deadlock, just as they had at Ibrox last week. Joaquin Seys combined neatly on the left with Christos Tzolis before whipping in a cross which Tresoldi met with a diving header to score his first goal for the club since joining in the summer.

Moments later, Rangers’ night went from bad to worse. Max Aarons hauled down Tzolis as the forward chased a long ball in behind, earning a straight red card and reducing Martin’s side to ten men.

The hosts piled forward relentlessly and struck the crossbar through Tzolis before doubling their advantage. Vanaken rose highest to nod home from a corner, leaving Rangers’ defence exposed once again.

Already provider of an assist, Seys added two goals in quick succession before half-time. First, he converted a rebound after Jack Butland had parried his initial effort, then only minutes later, he volleyed home from Raphael Onyedika’s cross. Stanković capped off a brutal first half by heading in Vanaken’s delivery to make it 5-0 before the break.

Brugge wasted no time after the restart, extending their lead within five minutes. Tresoldi’s clever flick released Tzolis, who curled a composed finish into the far corner.

Although the Belgian champions continued to dominate possession, they eased off in the closing stages. Rangers avoided further damage, but the 6-0 defeat equalled their heaviest ever loss in European competition. With an Old Firm clash looming on Sunday, Martin faces growing pressure from the fans, with the sense he may already have lost the fanbase and the dressing room.

Club Brugge cruise into the Champions League group stage for the seventh straight season, and truth be told, they didn’t have to get out of first gear. With their firepower up front, the Belgian champions look well-placed to target another run into the knockout rounds.

The lineups