World media reacts to seething Rangers mega rage as famous Ibrox atmosphere brutally called out
The boo sea of Ibrox raged after they watched Russell Martin's side come apart at the seams and tee up Brugge for mega millions
"Ibrox this, Ibrox that."
Only 24 hours after Gary Neville praised Rangers' legendary atmosphere under the lights there were counter claims that the famous old racket had been muzzled on a chastening night for Russell Martin.
A £40m Champions League golden ticket is out of reach with only a stunning three-goal triumph in Belgium offering redemption now.
But, in truth, can you blame the Rangers punter for being below par? Grave concerns about Martin's tactics were aired in the build-up a collective fanbase lacking faith soon found evidence for their concerns as the Belgians battered them and scored three goals in the first 20 minutes.
Danilo's consolation will likely be a moot point and Martin's fighting talk wasn't backed up by his public who see a side who show only meek resistance when the heat is on.
Concerns about Russell's Rangers are rising on these shores and now the fragility of this team has been exposed to a worldwide audience. Record Sport runs the rule over the best reaction.
Nieuwsblad (Belgium)
Club Brugge is already counting its chickens before they hatch. Literally. The 40 million that will surely be collected through the Champions League's league phase can be added to the bank. It would have to be incredibly lopsided in the second leg for this blue-and-black team to slip away. Nobody believes that.
Thank you very much, Rangers . Right? It was the Glasgow giants themselves who rolled out the red carpet for Club. The clock hadn't even read three minutes when Tzolis kicked the ball forward. Djiga, the defender Anderlecht and AA Gent had longed for in the past, was counting on goalkeeper Jack Butland. The keeper was counting on Djiga. A communication blunder, which Vermant capitalised on. He did follow up and curled the ball over the flailing Butland into the empty net: 0-1.
Four minutes later, it was bingo again, from a corner by Tzolis. The way Spileers was left completely alone is a testament to amateur-level defending. The 20-year-old defender only had to put his foot to the ball: 0-2.
Swearing, whistling, banging on the benches: no, there was no sign of the witches' cauldron that can be Ibrox. Things rattled so loudly at Rangers that the Scottish supporters were already taking aim at their own team. And the swearing in Glasgow only grew louder.
While Rangers do have to work hard this weekend, the blue-blacks have a week to prepare for the second leg. This can't go wrong.
NU (Netherlands)
Club Brugge had scored after just three minutes at Ibrox Stadium, though Rangers did the preparatory work. After a miscommunication between defender Nasser Djiga and goalkeeper Jack Butland, Romeo Vermant finished beautifully with a lob.
Rangers had barely recovered from the shock when the ball was back in the net. Jorne Spileers tapped in from a corner. The highlight of the evening came in the twentieth minute. Brandon Mechele, in his 500th appearance for Club Brugge, fired a beautiful shot into the far corner.
HNL (Belgium)
Ibrox this, Ibrox that. It took Club Brugge just seven minutes to silence Rangers' stadium, one of the loudest in Europe.
In the third minute, Romeo Vermant took advantage of a misunderstanding between defender Djiga and goalkeeper Butland to make it 0-1 with a wonderful lob. The final score was 1-3.
Club can't let this slip away on Wednesday. The Champions League beckons. Could Nicky Hayen's tuxedo be hanging ready?
VL (Netherlands)
Ibrox really got into the swing of things on Tuesday evening when Rangers hosted the Belgian giants. Confidence was high at the Scottish club, but Rangers were soon disappointed. A deafening silence followed as Club Brugge unbelievably executed a thrashing in the opening twenty minutes. Incidentally, Cyriel Dessers witnessed the incident from the stands, as the Belgian striker was injured.
The fiery Ibrox atmosphere was quickly extinguished, thanks to Club Brugge's solid handling of the situation. After twenty minutes, the score was already 0-3. A blunder at the back led to Romeo Vermant making it 0-1 after two minutes, who gratefully capitalized. Four minutes later, Jorne Spileers also had plenty of time and space, tapping in the second goal from a corner. Brandon Mechele, playing his 500th match for the club, made it 0-3 with a long-range shot. Ibrox booed their own team, who were already dizzy in the net and seemed to have forgotten about the Champions League stage. Meanwhile, Carlos Forbs then 'forgot' to make it 0-4.