McInnes 'embarrassed' after Rangers follow Celtic's debacle and lose in Conference League playoffs

Liberec, Czech Republic (AP) — Two days following Celtic's humiliating exit from Champions League qualifiers, Scottish counterpart Rangers suffered a similar fate with a loss to underdog Czech side Jablonec in Conference League playoffs. The Glasgow club exited Europe beyond 2017 for the first time in 15 years. Manager Derek McInnes voiced his disappointment, stating, "So embarrassed with it.

We should be winning this tie, there’s no two ways about it." The team lost 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw. McInnes, managing Rangers for the first time this season, admitted his share of responsibility for the outcome, saying, "I'm embarrassed at the fact that we should be performing a lot better." Just a few days earlier, Celtic led LASK 4-0 on aggregate after the second leg in Austria, but conceded five goals in a frenzied match, ultimately losing on penalties and again missing out on Europe's premier club competition.

Last year, Celtic failed to advance past the league phase of Europa League after losing both legs to Kairat Almaty. Rangers had also failed to progress past the Europa League league phase in the previous season. McInnes expressed his disappointment, saying, "We have to be totally honest with that."