Champions League: Club Brugge hits 10-man Rangers for six in rout
It was a night to forget for Rangers, who fell short of the Champions League proper after a humiliating defeat to Club Brugge.
Rangers crashed out of the Champions League after an embarrassing 6-0 defeat to Club Brugge in the second leg of their play-off qualifier, losing 9-1 on aggregate.
Russell Martin's side already had a mountain to climb after a 3-1 loss in the first leg, but Max Aarons' eighth-minute red card ended their hopes of qualifying for the tournament proper.
Nicolo Tresoldi ended any early home nerves when he sent a diving header past Jack Butland five minutes in, and Rangers' struggles in 2025-26 were further compounded shortly after Aarons was sent off for inexplicably dragging down Christos Tzolis.
Hans Vanaken powered in a header just after the half-hour mark, but three goals in six minutes at the end of the first half put Brugge out of sight.
Joaquin Seys scored a four-minute brace, finishing on the rebound in the 41st minute before netting a stunning volley, only for Aleksandar Stankovic to nod in another in stoppage time.
With the damage already done, Rangers went for a more defensive approach after the break, but they were breached again in the 50th minute, as Tzolis squeezed through the backline to add a sixth.
Elsewhere, Fenerbache narrowly missed out on a return to the Champions League after a 1-0 loss to Benfica.
Jose Mourinho's side were beaten by Kerem Akturkoglu's first-half effort, and any attempt at a fightback was ended by Talisca's 82nd-minute red card, though Fenerbahce failed to muster a shot on target.
Copenhagen also made it into Europe's top competition, following up their first-leg draw with Basel with a 2-0 victory in the second leg, winning 3-1 on aggregate.
And Qarabag also pushed their way into the Champions League despite losing in the second leg 3-2 to Ferencvaros, as they triumphed 5-4 on aggregate.
Data Debrief: Rangers hit new low
Only twice before in Europe have Rangers suffered as big a loss as they did on Wednesday, and it does nothing but pile the pressure on Martin.
Rangers' 6-0 loss to Real Madrid in 1963 and their 7-1 loss to Liverpool in 2022 are the other occasions, but they did nothing to help their cause at Jan Breydelstadion.
They conceded 32 shots, with Brugge getting 16 of those on target as they accumulated 4.2 expected goals (xG).
Rangers, by contract, mustered just one shot on target from their three efforts. They have won just three of their 10 matches in all competitions this term.
