'The problem is at the other end' - Michael Beale offers Rangers apology after dismal Champions League exit

“Listen, the buck stops with me. I wasn’t happy losing the way that we lost tonight,” he said. “There were moments in the game that could have gone for us. I thought in the second half we had some other opportunities that didn’t go for us but it’s bitterly frustrating. Clearly they are a very, very good team. They are better than the teams we face domestically. It is early in this team’s time, it is a new team coming together and we had to be brave, we had to score a goal in the game. Over the two legs against PSV we scored three goals. The problem is at the other end of the pitch. I have to say I think they are a very good team but that doesn’t take away from our disappointment.

“Over the two legs we’ve struggled to handle de Jong and Saibari, the two forwards in both legs, in key moments. Certainly in set-plays in key moments of both games we concede. In the first leg, we had the game where we wanted it and concede off a set-play. Tonight, we find ourselves two down, we score, but within three minutes we concede again. It is no secret that de Jong is good in the air. But we were unable to stop him and I thought the difference between the two teams was quality, for sure, but certainly the front two of PSV were too good for our team over the two legs.”

Beale does not take for granted making an impression in the Europa League into which they will now be placed - their last game in that competition the 2022 final - but is looking at the derby visit of Celtic on Sunday to make good on all the club’s other early-season ambitions, as he expressed remorse to the club’s travelling supporters over the scale of the defeat.

“If you look at the Europa League this year there are a lot of good teams in it,” he said. “For us coming into the first international break in September the aim was for us to get in the Champions League, into the quarter-finals of the [Viaplay] cup and to end this first period of league fixture as high up, or in front, if we can. And that’s still in our hands. We are bitterly disappointed we are out of the Champions League but we played against an excellent team. An apology to the fans who came across. They stuck with the team in both legs and they expect a little bit more than what they got.”