Rangers’ dream of making it into the Europa League semi-finals ended in Spain when a goal in each half gave Athletic Bilbao a deserved place in the last four.
A penalty just before the interval by Oihan Sancet and a late header by the outstanding Nico Williams was enough to take the home side through.
After a goalless draw in the first leg, Rangers put up another show of resistance but they were beset by injuries on the night and eventually succumbed to long spells of pressure.
The 2-0 aggregate triumph at the San Mames Stadium keeps alive Bilbao’s hopes of reaching the final, which will be held at the same venue in May.
The result means that Rangers’ season is effectively over, with attention now turning to interim manager Barry Ferguson and whether he could be given the job on a permanent basis. Paul Forsyth assesses the players he picked in Spain.
Man-of-the-match Nico Williams celebrates heading in Bilbao’s second goal against Rangers
Oihan Sancet sends Liam Kelly the wrong way with his penalty just before the interval
Leon Balogun has to be substituted after a clash of heads with fellow defender John Souttar
ATHLETIC BILBAO (4-2-3-1)
Julen Agirrezabala – 7
Had almost nothing to do in the first half, but an instinctive save, deflecting Raskin’s shot on to the post, was crucial.
Oscar de Marcos – 7.5
Got forward well, linking nicely with Berenguer. Denied Dessers with a vital headed clearance at the back post.
Dani Vivian – 7
The Spain international was mighty fortunate that his early shirt pull on Dessers was not punished with a penalty.
Yeray Alvarez – 7
Untested defensively. Enjoyed bags of possession and showed great vision with one or two clever passes forward.
Inigo Lekue – 6
Untroubled at the back, he was neat and tidy going forward. Gave Williams the platform to shine ahead of him.
Ruiz de Galarreta – 6
Midfield fulcrum. Showed a good range of passing, keeping the ball ticking over and picking out the wide men.
Mikel Jauregizar – 6
Took plenty of the ball from defence and moved it on quickly. Always had the better of his midfield opponents.
Alex Berenguer – 7
Always a threat from distance. Curled a free-kick well over but a bending shot was only a whisper beyond the upright.
Oihan Sancet – 7.5
A persistent threat in the hole. Lifted an easy chance over the bar before making up for it from the penalty spot.
Nico Williams – 8.5
Lived up to his billing this time. Tricky, fast and direct, he also popped up with a late header that sealed victory.
Maroan Sannadi – 7
A tireless target man who pestered Rangers’ defenders. Drew the foul from Souttar that resulted in a penalty.
SUBSTITUTES: Prados (de Galarreta 74), Guruzeta (Sannadi 74), Gomez (Sancet 82), Djalo (Williams 84), Vesga (Berenguer 84). Not used: Simon, Gorosabel, Paredes, Nunez, Canales, Boiro.
Ernesto Valverde – 7
With so much quality in his team, he had the patience and belief to stick with his strategy and wait for the goals to come.
RANGERS (3-4-2-1)
Liam Kelly – 7
Again justified his selection, especially with a save that denied Williams. Could do nothing about the goals.
James Tavernier- 6
Tasked with tracking Williams, he did everything in his power, but it wasn’t enough. Switched off for the second goal.
John Souttar – 6
Full of blocks and interceptions, but got on the wrong side of Sannadi just before half-time, which led to the penalty.
Leon Balogun – 6
His experience had been vital in defence but a clash of heads with Souttar early in the second half forced him off.
Ridvan Yilmaz – 4
Made an important block early on, but departed after 23 minutes with an injury picked up while chasing Williams.
Nicolas Raskin – 7
Worked hard to win the ball, but couldn’t hang on to it for long. So unlucky to see his close-range shot hit the post.
Ianis Hagi – 6
With his quality, he could have done more in possession. Hurt by a powerful shot to the body, he was subbed at half-time.
Jefte- 6
Dropped into defence after the Yilmaz injury led to a reshuffle. A little hesitant, but battled well in the circumstances.
Vaclav Cerny – 6
Didn’t see enough of the ball until Rangers had to take risks. Had a long-range shot fumbled by the goalkeeper.
Mohamed Diomande – 7
Showed another side to his game when he was moved to left wing-back in the first-half reshuffle. Let nobody down.
Cyriel Dessers – 6
Long spells without the ball and didn’t link when he got it. Unlucky not to win a penalty when Vivian ripped his shirt.
SUBSTITUTES: Barron (Yilmaz 23), Nsiala (Hagi 46), Igamane (Balogun, 50), Danilo (Diomande 84), Bajrami (Cerny 84). Not used: Butland, McGuire, McCausland, Rice, Curtis, Hutton, McCallion.
Barry Ferguson – 6
Did as well as could be expected, especially when a series of injuries forced him to change the gameplan.
Referee: Irfan Peljto (Bosnia) – 6
Attendance: 52,114
