CYRIEL Dessers says the players went through a rollercoaster of emotions after the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United.
The Nigerian international netted a late equaliser against the Red Devils at Old Trafford, only for Bruno Fernandes to fire home the winner for the English side.
Philippe Clement’s team ended the match with 18-year-old academy youngsters Findlay Curtis and Bailey Rice on the park.
It was only Curtis’ second top team appearance, coming just four days after his debut against Fraserburgh in the Scottish Cup.
Desserts insists the Euro rookies can be proud of themselves, but admits the players were all disappointed not to come away with at least a point.
Speaking to RangersTV, he said: “It is difficult to take at the end, especially because of the rollercoaster of emotions at the end.
“At first you feel that you are going to walk away with a point from Old Trafford and then you let it slip and that hurts.
“I think we can be very proud of the performance, to come here, with a team with a few injuries before the game and then we picked up some more during the game.
“It is only their second or third game at this level and that is a big compliment.
“We thought we had got our reward against a very good team but then it hurts with the result at the end.”
The squad are still in a strong position ahead of the final group stage game against Belgian side USG at Ibrox next Thursday night.
Dessers hopes they can get the job done to book at least a playoff spot, but he says the squad can take positives from the display at Old Trafford.
He added: “There are positives to take against a good opponent.
“In the first 70 minutes we didn’t give a lot of chances away and that is a big plus and that is something we need to take with us in the league.
“We are in a strong position in the group and our European adventure has been fantastic until now.
“We have had some great results and hopefully next week we can cap it off with a good result and look ahead to the next stage.”