Rangers crash out of Europe

Rangers 0 Auxerre 2

Rangers joined the European scrapheap after a Bonaventure Kalou double fired Auxerre to a 2-0 victory at Ibrox.

The home side had only to avoid defeat to progress to the knockout stage but were out-classed by the visitors.

That left Rangers hoping that Graz would not squeeze them out by beating the already-qualified AZ Alkmaar but the Austrians did just that.

A day that had began ominously for Rangers fans when it emerged that key defender Jean-Alain Boumsong was the subject of a £7.5million (€10,87m) bid from Newcastle had therefore ended on an even sourer note.

And a lack of European football after Christmas will surely now speed Boumsong’s exit from a club he joined from Auxerre just a few months ago, and the 25-year-old had not been particularly impressive against his former team-mates.

Rangers manager Alex McLeish opted to tinker with his starting line-up as Dick Advocaat often used to do on European nights, with Fernando Ricksen moved back to right-back and Zura Khizanishvili given a midfield holding role.

The Georgian’s responsibility was to keep Kalou in check but he spectacularly failed to do so in the 10th minute when Auxerre opened the scoring from a Rangers corner.

Ricksen and Hamed Namouchi made a hash of that kick and Kanga Akale was able to motor past the Tunisian as he tried to make amends.

Akale fed Benjamin Mwaruwari down the right and the Zimbabwean forward swung a cross into the box that Khizanishvili had managed to anticipate.

Crucially he failed to cut the ball out and Kalou was presented with a chance he converted by first firing against the underside of the bar and then tapping home the rebound.

It was no more than Guy Roux’s side deserved after out-playing tepid Rangers in the first 45 minutes.

The home fans had little to cheer about during that time. Shota Arveladze had a penalty claim turned down after Bakari Sagna had challenged clumsily and Namouchi sent a back-post header into the side-netting from a Ricksen free-kick.

Rangers’ best chance was fashioned by a short pass by Nacho Novo that gave Dado Prso a clear sight of goal in a crowded box but the Croatian scuffed his shot wide.

Rangers were fortunate Mwaruwari could only fire at Stefan Klos following a pacy ball into the box from Benoit Cheyrou and the African also fluffed a couple of other passable chances with some panicky decisions.

The news from Austria that accompanied the half-time whistle was not good as Graz were already on their way to a 2-0 win.

McLeish’s men had 45 minutes to save their UEFA Cup campaign and they put Khizanishvili at right-back and Ricksen in central midfield.

That had been the formula that had got them this far but within two minutes of the restart Auxerre had doubled their lead, with Kalou again the man on target.

Khizanishvili was the fall guy once more as his poor header allowed Mwaruwari to set up Kalou in front of goal and the man from the Ivory Coast coolly stroked the ball past the exposed Klos.

Desperate measures were called for as news of the second Graz goal filtered through but Vignal was simply too desperate and was booked in the 53rd minute for blatantly diving in the hope of a penalty.

Khizanishvili’s misery was ended two minutes later when he was taken off in favour of Alan Hutton.

Cool denied Rangers a route back into the game in the 63rd minute when he pulled off a fine one-handed parry to deny Novo, who had been sent clear down the inside right channel by a clever flick from Prso.

Arveladze threw himself at the rebound but Jean-Pascal Mignot managed to get in the way and Auxerre were able to clear their lines.

Cheyrou was booked in the 66th minute for a foul on Ricksen and the free-kick move saw Novo scuff a volley well wide.

Cool had to leap to tip over a goal-bound back post header from Prso in the 71st minute and with 10 minutes remaining Alex Rae replaced Namouchi.

The cause was already a lost one however as Auxerre extended their 100% record in clashes with Rangers, having beaten them home and away in the Champions League eight years ago.

It is not the first time Rangers have choked at the final hurdle either.

Last year a moribund Champions League campaign would have been transferred to the UEFA Cup had not a 1-0 lead over Panathinaikos been allowed to develop into a 3-1 loss.

And four years ago Advocaat’s side were a few minutes from qualifying from the group stage of the Champions League before conceding a costly equaliser to a Monaco side containing a less well-known Prso.