Rangers dumped out of Champions League

Stuttgart 1 Rangers 0

Rangers’ slim hopes of reaching the Champions league knockout stages were extinguished once and for all in Stuttgart.

The home side’s 1-0 victory in the Gottlieb Daimler Stadium booked their place beyond the group stage at the first time of asking but all Rangers will have to play for when Panathinaikos come to Ibrox next month is the confirmation of a place in the less glamorous UEFA Cup.

Rangers came to Germany needing nothing short of victory to stay alive in the flagship competition but rarely looked like achieving that goal at the expense of a team strong in defence and quick in attack.

Rangers’ overall performance reflected their pre-match long-shot odds as the Germans never looked like surrendering a lead handed to them in first half stoppage time by defender Timo Wenzel.

Rangers started nervously and had the misfortune of seeing Stephen Hughes booked in only the fourth minute for a foot up offence on Silvio Meissner.

Time after time it was the cool Henning Berg who was there at the back to clear when others were getting flustered, especially when the exceptional Alexander Hleb was attacking down the right.

But the first real chance of the game fell to Rangers in the 22nd minute and it took a fine save from home goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand to deny Fernando Ricksen.

The move had been a fine one with the recalled Maurice Ross firing in a cross from the right that Shota Arveladze chested forwards perfectly for the on-rushing Ricksen.

The shot was on target but Hildebrand thrust out a leg to divert it behind and Stuttgart almost broke the deadlock seconds later from a swift counter attack.

This was one of two first half chances spurned by Kevin Kuranyi, the Germany international who had netted his side’s goal in the opening game at Ibrox.

It was a wasteful finish as Hleb, seemingly being fouled by Hughes, had split the Rangers defence with a superbly-weighted ball, but despite having only Stefan Klos to beat Kuranyi screwed the ball wide.

Klos denied him in the second instance with a reflex stop to rival Hildebrand’s at the other end after a Meissner flick had opened up a shooting chance in the box.

It looked as though Rangers had survived a spell of pressure to go in level at the break but in stoppage time they were beguiled by a clever free kick move after Zura Khizanishvili had been contentiously adjudged to have fouled Imre Szabics 30 yards in front of goal.

Wenzel was one of the candidates to take the free kick but instead ran over it before scampering into the box and when Ross and Paolo Vanoli both went for the eventual delivery the ball ended up bouncing off the Italian’s shoulder for the Stuttgart number three to volley past Klos into the net.

Both sides made changes soon after the restart, with Christian Tiffert coming on for Horst Heldt and Vanoli being sacrificed so Michael Mols could come on as an extra attacker.

A quick counter attack involving Hleb saw Tiffert screw a shot wide as Rangers lived dangerously by committing more bodies into attack.

As the minutes ticked away Rangers gambled again by sending striker Egil Ostenstad on for Ross, who had performed well on his comeback.

But still the chances failed to materialise for the Scottish champions, who needed Klos to make a low save to deny Wenzel after Shota Arveladze had fouled substitute Emanuel Centurion on he edge of the box.

Rangers’ night was summed up by a long-range effort from Michael Ball that hit Ostenstad and the booking of Peter Lovenkrands for a touchline foul that saw the Dane kick the ball away having previously disputed an earlier free kick award.

Lovenkrands was immediately substituted in favour of young winger Chris Burke, who provided spark on the left.

But overall Stuttgart were simply too strong and held on for the victory that confirmed their place in the knockout stage at the first time of asking.

Now Rangers must avoid defeat at home to Panathinaikos in their final game to book a post-Christmas consolation place in the UEFA Cup.