Captain Lawrence Shankland levelled up the contest from the penalty spot before Nik Prelec’s second-half header for the visitors was ultimately enough to send the Polish side through, with the Gers now dropping into the Europa Conference League playoffs.
Manager Derek McInnes made five changes to his side for his first European outing at Ibrox as boss, with Dujon Sterling, Dan Neil, Djeidi Gassama, Thelo Aasgaard and Ryan Naderi all coming into the starting XI.
The Gers started confidently in possession, with the Polish visitors looking to pose a threat themselves on the counter-attack with their lead intact heading into the contest in Glasgow.
Rangers did register the first effort on goal just past the six-minute mark, and it was defender Olwethu Makhanya whose effort forced a punch from shot stopper Slawomir Abramowicz in the Jagiellonia goal. After an initial corner, Djeidi Gassama sent the ball back into the area with the ball breaking to the South African, but his strike was straight down the throat of the shot-stopper.
The Light Blues looked to take a lift from that opening and went close once again to an opener moments later. This time Dujon Sterling, who was operating in the right of a back three, was well advanced and clipped a ball into an area for his captain, but Lawrence Shankland’s volley was gathered at the second attempt.
Adrian Siemieniec’s men looked to be threatening when they got forward themselves and had a first sight of goal via a corner. Midfielder and captain Taras Romanczuk rose highest at the back corner, but his downward header found the side netting in a lively opening inside the first 10 minutes.
Despite Rangers applying early pressure, it was the Polish visitors who went closest to breaking the deadlock on the night. After bypassing the press, the ball was worked to Jesus Imaz, who found space between the defenders, but his shot hit the inside of Ivor Pandur’s right hand post and stayed out. Before another chance fell for the midfielder inside the six-yard box, but the Croatian dived down to keep it out.
That sparked the hosts back into life, and moments later they had the chance to level the tie from the penalty spot following a Yuki Kobayashi handball. A cross from the right from Daisuke Yokota hit the hand of the defender, which saw the referee point to the spot after a VAR review. Skipper Shankland stepped up from 12 yards to find the back of the net to level up proceedings on aggregate.
After finding the goal to level the tie, McInnes’ men seemed to settle into their stride as they searched for more. Nico Raskin, on his first European start of the campaign, looked to take matters into his own hands to double the lead by riding multiple challenges and trying his luck from range, but the Belgian’s effort flew over the crossbar.
The Light Blues looked to turn the screw with just over 10 minutes until the interval, and it was midfielder Thelo Aasgaard who was next to go close. The Norwegian international found space 25 yards from goal, but his shot flashed past the left post and behind.
However, it was the visitors who went close themselves to levelling on the night and putting themselves ahead in the tie again on the counter. A slipped-through ball found Rodrigo Conceição in space on the right and in behind; he flashed a ball across which found striker Nik Prelec, but he was on the stretch with his effort flying wide of the front post.
After the restart, and now with the tie in the balance, the Polish side looked to come out of the traps quickly and find the next goal. They started the second period positively without posing any real threat to the Gers’ backline, with the hosts having an opening through Ryan Naderi at the other end, but the striker couldn’t sort his feet out in the box as it trundled into the hands of Abramowicz.
Clear openings at either end remained at a premium as the game reached the hour-mark under the lights at Ibrox. The tie was finely poised, with a place in the Europa League play-off round at stake for the side willing to take the initiative and really take a foothold in the final half hour of normal time on the night.
After a spell of few openings, it was Jagiellonia Bialystok who levelled up on the night and edged themselves ahead on aggregate once again. After picking the ball up at the back post, midfielder Anders Klynge swung a dangerous delivery round the back post which saw striker Nik Prelec rise highest to head home and put the Polish outfit ahead in the tie with 25 minutes remaining.
Rangers looked for a response, which was one they really needed. Shankland opted against a right-footed strike just outside the area as he turned into traffic; it broke for Naderi, but his effort lacked any of the desired power to trouble the goalkeeper between the posts, who was able to collect.
McInnes rolled the dice further with the introduction of Bojan Miovski and Findlay Curtis, but with time ticking, chances of reaching the Europa League playoffs were getting slimmer by the second, with the hosts needing a late response in order to take the tie to extra time.
Rangers thought they had found their equaliser when sub Vanja Dragojevic climbed highest in the box to get on the end of Curtis’ delivery, but inside the six-yard box his flicked head on the spin flew past the post with just minutes of the original 90 remaining.
It was the Serbian who curled an effort just wide of the target in stoppage time, with the seconds passing by for McInnes with Rangers heading for the Conference League playoffs, barring any late drama at Ibrox.
McInnes’ men were unable to find that crucial second goal to take the tie into extra time as the Polish side progressed a step closer to the Europa League group stage, with attention for Rangers now turning to their Premier Sports Cup last 16 clash against St Mirren at Ibrox in three days.
RANGERS: Pandur, Sterling, Fernandez, Makhanya, Neil (Devlin, 66), Raskin (Dragojevic, 66), Aasgaard (McCrorie, 45), Yokota, Gassama (Curtis, 75), Shankland, Naderi (Miovski, 75)
SUBS: Kelly, Hutton, Chukwuani, Barron, Cameron, McCausland, Glasgow
JAGIELLONIA BIAŁYSTOK: Abramowicz, Kobayashi, Vital, Romanczuk, Szmyt, Imaz (Konstantopoulos, 90+4), Wojtuszek, Klynge (Kozłowski, 79), Montóia, Conceição (Agbonifo 83), Prelec (Sylla, 83)
SUBS: Perchel, Polak, Drachal, Rallis, Lozano, Krasiewicz, Pankiewicz, Zalewski