Rangers could set grim unwanted Champions League record this season

Rangers v Liverpool: Pictures

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Rangers are in danger of making unwanted history in this season’s Champions League group stage after their humiliating defeat by Liverpool on Wednesday night. Jurgen Klopp’s side romped to a 7-1 triumph at Ibrox, leaving the Scottish giants in a precarious position in European folklore.

Scott Arfield sent the home support into a frenzy by firing Rangers ahead after 17 minutes, but Roberto Firmino equalised minutes later and edged Liverpool ahead after half-time. Darwin Nunez added a third before Mohamed Salah’s six-minute hat-trick off the bench and Harvey Elliott’s late seventh inflicted the Gers’ worst-ever European defeat.

The stunning result piled onto what has been a miserable Champions League campaign for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men. They started the campaign off with a 4-0 defeat at Ajax before Napoli ran out 3-0 victors at Ibrox and Liverpool bettered them 2-0 at Anfield.

With Ajax visiting Glasgow and a daunting trip to Napoli still to come in Group A, Rangers are now at serious risk of achieving an embarrassing feat. Two more losses with more than a minus-four goal difference would make it the worst group-stage performance in Champions League history.

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Rangers are currently sitting rock bottom on zero points with a minus-15 goal difference. Dinamo Zagreb currently hold the record from their catastrophic 2011/12 campaign, finishing bottom of their group with six defeats and a minus-19 goal difference after facing Real Madrid, Lyon and Ajax.

The Croatian outfit progressed through three play-off rounds to reach the group stage, defeating Neftchi Baku, HJK Helsinki and Malmo to bring their Champions League dream to life. But that dream quickly became a nightmare, losing 1-0 and 6-2 to Real, 2-0 and 7-1 to Lyon, and 2-0 and 4-0 to Ajax.

Celtic supporters will be revelling in Rangers’ misfortune in this season’s competition. But truth be told, it’s been a disastrous campaign all-around for Scotland’s two representatives. The Hoops fell to a 2-0 defeat against RB Leipzig at Parkhead on Tuesday to remain bottom of Group F on one point.

Both clubs will likely soon have to put all focus on the domestic season, with an enthralling Scottish Premiership title battle heating up in the early stages. Celtic lead Rangers by two points at the summit, but there will undoubtedly be continued frustration over their failure to replicate their league exploits on the European stage.

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