Rangers' penalty shootout defeat to Jablonec has ended a run stretching back almost a decade, the club's last failure to reach the group stage, now rebranded and revamped as the league phase, of European competition came against Progres Niederkorn in 2017 as Derek McInnes' European hoodoo continues.
That night remains one of the lowest points in Rangers' modern European history.
Rangers entered the 2017/18 Europa League at the first qualifying round following their return to European football after six years away after a third-placed finish at the end of their first season back in the Scottish Premiership the season prior.
Pedro Caixinha's side had been handed what appeared to be a favourable tie against Luxembourg's Progres, but a 1-0 first-leg victory thanks to a Kenny Miller goal at Ibrox proved worthless.
The second leg in Luxembourg produced a result that stunned Scottish football.
Progres scored twice in the second half through Emmanuel Francoise and Sebastien Thill to overturn Rangers' advantage and win the tie 2-1 on aggregate. It was Progres' first ever victory in European competition, achieved at their 14th attempt.
The defeat was particularly damaging given Rangers' standing and the circumstances of their return to continental football.
Progres had finished fourth in Luxembourg's National Division the previous season and had never previously won a European match. Rangers, meanwhile, as mentioned, had finished third in the Scottish Premiership and were beginning their first European campaign since returning from the lower leagues after spending higher than they had in years under the Portuguese boss.
What Caixinha said
Caixinha accepted responsibility immediately after the defeat.
“I'm just disappointed. I assume all the responsibility. We could not do what we were here to do – win the game. What happened to us today is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. That's part of football of course,” he said at the time.
“We need to apologise to our fans as they were showing this support, this loyalty to the club. They do not deserve this. What we need to do now is to keep working, to work harder and keep looking forward.”
Contrast this to what McInnes said on Thursday.
There was little warning of what was to come after Rangers had taken the lead in Glasgow.
The first leg ended 1-0 to the home side, leaving Rangers in control of the tie. But Progres turned the contest around after the interval in Luxembourg scoring twice. Rangers were unable to find a response despite late pressure, with Josh Windass and Kenny Miller both hitting the bar.
The result meant Rangers were eliminated before even reaching the second qualifying round.
It was a disastrous start to Caixinha's first full season and was widely regarded as one of the club's worst European results, leaving the then-boss arguing with supporters from a bush.
What followed made the contrast even more striking.
Rangers European' revival
Rangers returned to European competition the following season under Steven Gerrard and successfully navigated qualifying, eventually establishing themselves as regular participants in the latter stages of UEFA competition.
That victory became part of a much longer period of European consistency. Rangers subsequently reached the Europa League knockout stages, famously went all the way to the 2022 final in Seville under Giovanni Van Bronckhorst, and later competed in the Champions’ League group stage the following year before UEFA's competition format was changed.
Jablonec defeat echoes Progres disaster
The Jablonec defeat on Thursday marks the first time since that infamous defeat that Rangers have failed to make it through qualifying and into the main phase of Europe's premier competitions. The club had managed to establish a remarkable level of European continuity after the 2017 setback.
Now that run is over and, just as in 2017, Rangers' European campaign has ended before the club could even reach the stage where the financial and sporting rewards of continental football truly begin.
The circumstances are obviously very different. Rangers are no longer a club rebuilding after administration and returning from the fourth tier. They are a major Scottish club with substantial European experience and a squad assembled with the expectation of competing at this level.
2017 against Progres Niederkorn was the last time Rangers failed to reach the group or league phase. Jablonec has now become the first club to repeat that feat in nine years.
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