RUSSELL MARTIN’S Rangers side were obliterated 6-0 by Club Brugge in Belgium tonight to complete a humiliating 9-1 aggregate exit.
The roof fell in on the Govan side as their Champions League hopes were left in tatters after losing five goals in a whirlwind first-half as the hosts piled on the agony.
Under-pressure Martin, who is still searching for his first Premiership win after three games, now faces Celtic at Ibrox on Sunday in an encounter where the champions can power NINE points ahead at the top of the league.
This was the worst possible preparation for Martin’s new-look team who lost 3-1 in the first leg in Glasgow last week.
EURO HEADACHE…Russell Martin watched in agony as his Ibrox side collapsed 9-1 on aggregate to Club Brugge.
They conceded in the fifth minute when Nicolo Tresoldi got the show on the road with a neat finish at the near post.
Max Aarons was then red-carded two minutes later after a desperate last-man foul and the Belgians doubled their advantage with an effort from Hans Vanaken around the half-hour mark.
Brugge had already rattled the crossbar twice before Joaquin Seys netted No.3 in 41 minutes and he added a fourth only moments later. Aleksandar Stankovic grabbed a fifth in first-half stoppage-time.
Christos Tzolis whipped in No.6 five minutes after the interval and then the hosts, after an avalanche of substitutions, eased off to coast into the next stages of the competition.
Unfortunately, Celtic, after the failure to overcome Kazakhstan’s Karat Almaty, also missed out on the Champions League to go into Friday’s noon Europa Cup draw with their Glasgow neighbours.
Sunday’s confrontation is shaping up as being a highly interesting meeting – and a crunch for Martin so early in his career as Philippe Clement’s successor.
