Rangers 0 - 2 Stuttgart: Rangers exit Europe after third Ibrox defeat

Published on Tuesday 24 November 2009 22:59

RANGERS slipped tamely out of the Champions League last night, bypassing the Europa League trapdoor on the way as they completed a hat-trick of dispiriting home defeats in a miserable campaign.

&#149 Rangers ace Lee McCulloch (centre) clashes with Stuttgart goalkeeper Jens Lehmann

Walter Smith's team, now condemned to finish bottom of Group G regardless of the outcome of their final fixture against Sevilla in Spain on 9 December, never appeared remotely likely to secure the victory they needed against VfB Stuttgart to make the trip to Andalucia in any way meaningful.

Following the 4-1 Ibrox reversals against Sevilla and Unirea Urziceni, this was a similarly chastening experience for Rangers and their supporters. But for the excellence of goalkeeper Allan McGregor, this would have been another heavy defeat for the SPL title holders against a side currently third bottom of the Bundesliga.

&#149 Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor saves a shot from Cacau (right)

Markus Babbel's team were generally superior in every department, goals from Sebastian Rudy and Zdravko Kuzmanovic sealing the three points which were collected far more easily than the final scoreline suggests.

It was a night of big decisions by Smith, leaving the errant Madjid Bougherra on the bench and handing Kris Boyd a rare European starting appearance as he initially tinkered radically with the way he set his team out.

Smith's unexpected and uncharacteristic deployment of a 3-4-3 formation was clearly designed to try and put Stuttgart on the back foot in the early stages of a match where only victory would leave the door to the last 16 of the tournament ajar for his team.

But his bold change in tactics backfired almost immediately as the visitors seized the initiative by exploiting space on the flanks. They were particularly successful down their left side where Steven Whittaker endured a torrid opening period as he struggled to come to terms with his advanced role on the right of a four-man central midfield.

&#149 Rangers ace Kenny Miller (right) skips away from Arthur Boka

Arthur Boka, the Stuttgart left-back, roamed forward almost at will as an auxiliary winger as Rangers found themselves under fairly sustained pressure leading up to Rudy's 16th minute opener. The goalscorer had an earlier netbound effort blocked by Steven Davis as the Scottish champions looked distinctly ill at ease with their three-man defence of Lee McCulloch, David Weir and Danny Wilson.

Ivory Coast international Boka rampaged beyond Whittaker again to set up a shooting opportunity for Cacau, the striker's curling shot from the edge of the penalty area forcing a terrific save from McGregor, who dived to his left to turn the ball behind.

Smith's experiment lasted just 12 minutes, the instructions relayed to switch to the more familiar 4-1-4-1 formation with McCulloch as the holding midfielder. Rangers were still regrouping, however, when Stuttgart took the lead four minutes later.

Aleksandr Hleb found space on the left to drive the ball low across the Rangers penalty area. Pavel Pogrebnyak stabbed the ball on and, with the Rangers defence again in some disarray, it fell into the path of the unmarked Rudy, who calmly swept it beyond the helpless McGregor from close range.

&#149 Rangers ace Kris Boyd (right) heads towards goal only for it to go over the bar

Stuttgart thought they had doubled their lead two minutes later when a free-kick from around 25 yards by Zdravko Kuzmanovic beat McGregor via his left-hand post. The linesman's flag had been raised, though, to indicate Matthieu Delpierre had been standing in an offside position in front of the goalkeeper.

Smith decided a third change in formation was required, this time matching up to Stuttgart's 4-4-2 with Kenny Miller joining Kris Boyd in attack. Starting a Champions League group stage fixture for the first time in his Rangers career, Boyd's first contribution of note was to earn the game's first booking for a foul on Ricardo Osorio.

Boyd provided some encouragement for the home support when he turned smartly on the edge of the penalty area to drive a left-foot shot narrowly wide of Jens Lehmann's right-hand post.

The striker, though, missed the opportunity to validate his claim for regular inclusion in the starting line-up for these fixtures when he failed to convert Rangers' clearest opportunity of the first-half. Miller sent over a cross which picked out the unmarked Boyd no more than eight yards out in a central position. The ball may have taken a slight deflection en route off the head of Georg Niedermeier, but Boyd's customary deadliness from close range deserted him as he flicked his header over the crossbar.

Rangers were unable to carry any impetus they had achieved before the interval into the second-half. Stuttgart regained control of possession and territory with a level of ease which did nothing to improve the mood of the home fans. News that Unirea were leading Sevilla at half-time had simply intensified the feeling this was not going to be the kind of evening they craved. When Stuttgart made it 2-0 just before the hour mark, even the consolation prize of Europa League football was drifting inexorably away.

Kuzmanovic had already fired a warning shot with an effort just over the top and the Serbian international, part of the Fiorentina side beaten in the Uefa Cup semi-finals by Rangers two seasons ago, put Stuttgart firmly in command with a simple goal.

&#149 Stuttgart's Zdravko Kuzmanovic heads his side two infront

It came from a swift counter attack, Rangers having for once cut open the visitors' defence with a Davis through ball which gave Miller the chance to burst into the penalty area. The striker was caught and dispossessed by Delpierre, however, with the Stuttgart captain immediately sending his team back on to the offensive.

Rudy burst down the right and swept over a cross which found the unmarked Kuzmanovic on the edge of the six yard box, the midfielder gleefully planting a firm header beyond McGregor.

The possibility of another heavy home defeat in Europe was now staring Rangers in the face and it needed a fine double save by McGregor, first blocking Cacau's long range shot and then astonishingly diverting Pogrebnyak's close range effort from the rebound over the crossbar, to prevent Stuttgart claiming a third goal just two minutes later.

Rangers sent on Nacho Novo for Miller with 22 minutes remaining but there was already an air of futility hanging over Smith's team. Boyd was unable to convert a Kyle Lafferty cross as they tried to claw their way back into the match, but Stuttgart generally appeared unruffled as they closed out the victory which kept their hopes of qualification alive.

&#149 Rangers ace John Fleck can't bare to look as his side suffer another defeat in the Champions League

Rangers (3-4-3): McGregor, McCulloch, Weir, Wilson; Whittaker, Davis, Thomson (Fleck 76), Papac; Miller (Novo 68), Boyd, Lafferty (Beasley 85). Subs not used: Alexander, Bougherra, Smith, Little.

VfB Stuttgart (4-4-2): Lehmann, Osorio, Niedermeier, Delpierre, Boka; Rudy (Gebhart 90), Trasch, Hleb, Kuzmanovic (Hitzlsperger 75); Cacau (Schieber 82), Pogrebnyak. Subs not used: Ulreich, Tasci, Marica, Hilbert.