A YOUNG Rangers side were this evening defeated by an impressive Club Brugge side at the Rangers Training Centre.
In their final fixture of the campaign, the Belgian visitors ran out 4-1 winners after a blistering first-half showing.
Indeed, Lewis Stewart grabbed a late consolation for the Light Blues, but few could argue against a confident away side being worthy winners.
Stevie Smith named a youthful side for the visit of the Belgian side, with Josh Gentles and Blaine McClure, both of whom spent the second half of the campaign on loan in the Scottish lower leagues, back among the group.
Any notion that this would be an end-of-season kickabout were quickly dispelled when Club Brugge flexed their muscles inside three minutes by breaking the deadlock.
By Rangers’ admission there was too much time and space for Grady McDonnell to pick the ball in midfield and thread a delicious pass through to Siebe Wylin, breaking forward from full-back, who sprung the offside trap and dispatched a confident finish beyond Rydnn McGuire at his near post.
The quality of the visitors seemed to spook the home side as, just moments later, Sem Audoor burst down the left-hand side and laid the ball back for Laurens Goemaere whose finish rebounded back off the post and was eventually clawed away by McGuire.
One soon became two for the Belgian outfit as Aiden McCallion was caught in possession from a McGuire pass out of his six-yard area, with the ball rolling invitingly to Yanis Musuayi who swivelled and planted a confident finish into the bottom corner.
It took until 13 minutes for the Gers to fashion their first attempt in anger through a Callum Burnside free-kick, before the Northern Irish midfielder clipped a delightful delivery into Jack Wyllie from a short corner routine just shy of the half-hour mark that the defender nodded wide.
Just as the Light Blues appeared to be growing into the contest, however, the away side duly extended their advantage. The impressive McDonnell was the source once again as he drove into the Gers penalty area and curled beyond McGuire.
Prior to that, Chris Eadie passed up a half-chance for the hosts after Rangers won possession in the final third, but the forward’s touch deserted him at the most inopportune moment and the Club Brugge goalkeeper was able to smother.
Few could argue against the visitors stretching their already healthy lead before the interval given the stranglehold they had in the contest, which meant the key for Rangers was gritting their teeth until half-time.
Opportunity beckoned for Arran Kerr to reduce the arrears moments before half-time when he advanced down the right-hand side, but after riding several Club Brugge challenges he was denied by a last-ditch sliding block.
The half-time pause prompted a triple substitution from Smith as he looked to engineer a response from his side.
Among those introduced was Lewis Stewart, who immediately went close when he combined smartly with Lyle Wark and curled only inches wide of the far post from the edge of the penalty area.
Rangers were indebted to a heroic goalline block from Wyllie in preventing a fourth for the away side; the defender making a last-ditch sliding challenge after Tobias Lund Jensen struck the post.
McDonnell then went close once again for the Belgian side, proving his last involvement in an eye-catching individual display as he shot straight down the throat of McGuire when presented with time and space.
The Light Blues could have pulled a goal back in the latter stages – making for an interesting final stanza – when McClure shimmied into the penalty area, but the visiting goalkeeper was equal to his stabbed finish down to his left.
There was still time for Musuayi to add a fourth for the visitors and his second of the game, before the young Gers restored a modicum of pride when Stewart slammed home in the dying embers.
RANGERS: McGuire, Wyllie (Caldwell, 70), Hynd (Wark, 45), Campbell, Kerr, McClure, McCallion (Smith, 45), Burnside (Stewart, 45), Gentles (Crilly, 70), Adamson (Fernie, 70), Eadie (Christie, 55)
Subs not used: Thackray (GK)
CLUB BRUGGE: Vandendriessche, McDonnell (Kurtul, 70), Goemaere (Vanderperre, 60), Van Britsom, Lund Jensen, Verlinden, Wylin (Tytens, 45), Musuayi, Yameogo, Okon-Engstler, Audoor (Elbay, 73)
Subs not used: Knieper, Kestemont