MY ACCOUNT
Rangers’ players “let a lot of people down” with their performance in Wednesday’s heavy Champions League defeat to Ajax, according to midfielder Ryan Jack.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side were on the end of a 4-0 loss in Amsterdam, four days on from going down to rivals Celtic by the same scoreline in the Scottish Premiership.
Ajax were three ahead inside 33 minutes thanks to goals from Edson Alvarez, Steven Berghuis and Mohammed Kudus, which Steven Bergwijn later added to.
That is the earliest Ajax have ever led by three goals in a Champions League game as they beat Rangers for a fifth time in five meetings in all competitions.
Jack was at fault for the fourth of the hosts’ goals, with a terrible pass being intercepted, and accepts his side were simply not good enough at Johan Cruijff ArenA.
“We have let a lot of people down tonight,” he told BT Sport. “We apologise to the fans who sacrificed to make this trip and support us.
“We don’t have time to feel sorry for ourselves. The games are coming thick and fast and we have to pick ourselves up, stick together and go again.
“Obviously everyone’s disappointed. All we can do is pick ourselves up because we have a massive game away to Aberdeen.
“We know how tough a venue that will be, so on the back of the two 4-0 defeats it’s important we pick ourselves up.”
Rangers had seven of their 11 starters from May’s Europa League final loss to Eintracht Frankfurt, but Van Bronckhorst made a triple change at half-time.
That led to an improved second-half showing, albeit with Ajax taking their foot off the gas prior to Bergwijn’s late fourth.
Reflecting on a third defeat in 12 matches this season, Van Bronckhorst said: “The performance wasn’t good. The players are committed. They want to fight and work hard.
“But against an opponent like Ajax when you’re not as organised as you should be it’s going to be tough.
“You don’t want to give space away against Ajax. We gave less space away in the second half because we played a little bit more defensively.
“We should have stayed more in our zones in the first half. We didn’t do that so well and, as I said, every mistake is punished.”
Ajax reached the last-16 stage last season and have now won each of their past four group matches in the competition, their best-such run since December 1995 (also four).
“This was a beautiful evening for us,” Ajax playmaker Dusan Tadic told RTL7. “It was a great win in front of our fans. The team spirit was very good.
“There was a lot of movement in the squad and we often put pressure on Rangers. We played very well and managed to show our own football.
“I played in a new position for the third game in a row, and there is always room for improvement, but I have played for the team and I am very happy with this victory.”
