Rangers have set a record for the worst-ever Champions League group stage performance after losing at home to Ajax.
Gio van Bronckhorst led the Scottish side into Europe's top competition after the Gers failed to make it through qualifying under predecessor Steven Gerrard in 2021-22. They have been sent packing early, though, losing all six of their group games including a 7-1 hammering at home to Liverpool.
Despite losing all of their first five matches, Van Bronckhorst's team still had a chance of dropping into the Europa League rather than suffering elimination from Europe altogether. It wasn't to be, though, with Ajax following Liverpool and Napoli in completing a group stage double over last year's Europa League finalists.
Things began in the worst possible manner for last season's Scottish Premiership runners-up. After getting past Union SG and PSV Eindhoven to make it into the group stage, they were thumped 4-0 by Ajax in their opening game.
Next up was a 3-0 loss at home to Napoli, after holding out for more than an hour, and they lost by the same scoreline at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona after home and away losses against Liverpool, They did at least get on the scoresheet at home to Ajax, with James Tavernier's penalty only their second goal of the tournament, but it wasn't enough.
First-half goals from Steven Berghuis and Mohamed Kudus - two of the scorers against Rangers at Johan Cruijff ArenA - put Ajax in control. Tavernier pulled one back, but Francisco Conceicao restored the two-goal margin.
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While Rangers aren't the first team to pick up no points from six games, no team has posted such a record with a worse goal difference. Czech champions Viktoria Plzen also picked up no points this term, but their -19 goal difference - confirmed by a 4-2 loss at home to Barcelona on Tuesday - was one better than that of the Glasgow outfit.
The record had stood at -19 before this season. That dubious honour belonged to Dinamo Zagreb in 2011-12, when the Croatian side lost 4-0 to Ajax, 6-2 to Real Madrid and 7-1 at home to Lyon in a chastening campaign.
"Disappointing result, the last 5-10 minutes you think we might get a point if we put pressure on but [Conceicao's goal] was really quick," Van Bronckhorst said after the defeat. "Overall, it was a difficult match for us.
"We tried to press them but you see the difference in energy levels, they had no game at the weekend and they were much fresher than we were. To compete against Ajax we needed to have the pressure moments but we weren’t able to create those moments."
