RUSSELL MARTIN and his humiliated players flopped to a 3-1 defeat from Club Brugge in the first leg of their Champions League play-off at Ibrox tonight.
The new Govan gaffer looked on in horror as his team collapsed in dramatic fashion to provoke a crescendo of boos and jeers from the stands.
Only a miracle in Wednesday’s second leg will prevent them from waving farewell to the £40million prize money for reaching the next stages of Europe’s elite competition.
The hosts were hit by a stunner in only three minutes and were 3-0 adrift by the 20-minute mark.
The Belgians were picking off their opponents at will and only a superb diving save from Jack Butland prevented the rampant visitors a fourth goal before the interval.
SHOUT OF ORDER…under-pressure Russell Martin yells instructions.
The keeper was left stranded in the early moments when centre-backs John Souttar and Nasser Djiga allowed a through ball to be threaded through the middle and Romeo Vermant raced clear before lobbing the ball over Butland who was way off his line.
The home support showed their immediate displeasure and the volume went up a notch in the seventh minute Jorne Spileers connected with a right-wing corner-kick to steer a 16-yard effort wide of the motionless netminder.
And Butland was left flapping at a ferocious volley from Brandon Mechele as the away side celebrated a third goal.
Danilo pulled one back five minutes after the interval and the home side thought they had pulled back another through Djeida Gassama 15 minutes from time.
However, the goal was chalked off after a VAR interruption and the referee ruled the Ibrox forward had kicked the ball out of the hands of keeper Simon Mignolet.
Kris Boyd, speaking on Sky Sports, said: “Rangers just come up with new ways to lose goals. It’s embarrassing.
“Champions League football? Rangers can forget it.”
