[UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] DaMarcus Beasley won’t be returning to the UEFA Champions League for a fourth time. Playing without the injured American, Scottish club Rangers fell to Lithuania’s Kaunas, 2-1, and was knocked out in the second qualifying stage on aggregate by the same score.
Rangers was in trouble after a 0-0 tie in Glasgow last Wednesday, but it looked to go through after midfielder Kevin Thomson scored in the 33rd minute.
Even defender Nerijus Radzius‘ reply 10 minutes later with a fierce free kick left Rangers in control, thanks to its away goal, but Linas Pilibaitis gave Kaunas the shock victory when he headed in a corner with three minutes remaining.
Manager Walter Smith said Rangers had no excuses for an “extremely poor performance.”
“It is ridiculous you can reach a European final and then get knocked out in the first game of the next season but that’s the way it has happened,” Smith told BBC Radio.
Besides Beasley out with a hamstring injury, Carlos Cuellar, Barry Ferguson, Steven Naismith and Chris Burke were unavailable for Rangers, which opens the Scottish Premier League season Saturday at Falkirk.
RESULTS:
Ventspils (Latvia) 2 Brann (Norway) 1
(Aggregate: 2-2; Brann wins on away goals)
Kaunas (Lithuania) 2 Rangers (Scotland) 1
(Kaunas wins 2-1 on aggregate)