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Rangers succumb to 'Iron Men' Jagiellonia as Kacper ghosts in with double to punish defensive lapses

· Lewis Anderson · 2026-08-06 · nguồn gốc

Rangers succumb to 'Iron Men' Jagiellonia as Kacper ghosts in with home double to punish defensive lapses Defensive lapses punished by Poles as Rangers left with work to do in Europa League qualifier This was not the start Derek McInnes wanted to life as Rangers boss. For a second successive match, his starting XI was questionable on another night of frustration as the Ibrox side slumped to a 2-1 defeat against Jagiellonia Białystok in the first leg of their Europa League third round qualifier. On the back of drawing 1-1 with Dundee United to kick off the Premiership campaign, Rangers went one step worse by succumbing to the heat his side faced in north-eastern Poland against strong opposition. In baking late evening temperatures at the Chorten Arena, Rangers got off to a dream start in rather fortuitous circumstances via an early Guilherme Montoia own goal. However, they were sucker-punched by two goals in the space of eight minutes to leave them with plenty of work to do heading into next Thursday's return leg in Govan. Over 700 travelling supporters had ventured out to the sleepy city of Białystok looking to make themselves heard and seeking a positive result to take back to Glasgow. They were drowned out by a near-capacity home crowd, who were in full voice throughout. Jagiellonia are no mugs. This is a team that have steadily built a reputation in European football since winning the Polish league title for the first time in their history two years ago. Their Conference League progress over the last two seasons suggests they cannot be underestimated. And for 90 minutes, they displayed the threat they carry. How Jagiellonia Białystok 2-1 Rangers unfolded Following the disappointment of Friday's league curtain-raiser against United, McInnes freshened things up and made five changes in total. There was a hastily arranged debut for Japanese winger Daisuke Yokota, pitched straight in a little over 24 hours after signing from German second-tier side Hannover. An intimidating atmosphere greeted them ahead of the kick-off as the hosts unveiled an impressive large-scale cut-out of Iron Man with the slogan "Heroes aren't born, they're built" written below. It blended in well with their own striking red and yellow striped kit that had shades of Partick Thistle about it. This was Jagiellonia's first time facing Scottish opposition and they encountered a nervy start as Rangers broke the deadlock after just four minutes. Mohamed Diomande's reverse ball allowed Tuur Rommens to dart for the by-line before flashing a dangerous low delivery across goal. It zipped through a glut of bodies before Montoia turned into his own net at the back post. Rangers' lead was short-lived. Kacper Szmyt levelled the tie after 13 minutes when he worked an angle for himself to whip in a cross-cum-shot that caught out the visitors' backline and flashed past Ivor Pandur into the bottom corner. It was an extremely poor goal to concede. The situation went from bad to worse for Rangers when the lively Szmyt found the target again eight minutes later. It stemmed from Thelo Aasgaard losing possession as he attempted an audacious flick. A quick counter down the right flank followed with Manny Fernandez slipping at the most inopportune moment in the middle of the area as the ball found its way to Nik Prelec. His initial effort was saved by Pandur but Szmyt was alert to smash home the rebound. Rangers were toiling. His team selection clearly not quite right, McInnes rang the changes at the break, introducing Cammy Devlin, Findlay Curtis and Nicolas Raskin, who was returning to the squad for the first time after his extended post-World Cup break. Those alterations brought about a marked second half improvement, with Curtis adding some much-needed attacking guile. He struck the woodwork late on as Rangers pressed for an equaliser, but the goal they craved wasn't forthcoming. Comments Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.