Rangers Europa League adventure came to a disappointing end in Seville
Penalty shootouts are a cruel, cruel business. Nobody needs reminding of this, but look no further than Aaron Ramsey on the off chance you know someone who does.
For most of Wednesday night’s Europa League final in Seville, the former Arsenal midfielder had watched on from the bench as his Rangers teammates tried to get the better of Eintracht Frankfurt.
He finally got the nod to go on with just three minutes of extra-time remaining – specifically, you’d imagine, to score a penalty in the shootout.
Ramsey’s penalty miss cost Rangers
Unfortunately for him, his spot kick was saved by Kevin Trapp in the Eintracht goal. It proved to be the only miss of the shootout, ultimately handing victory to the Bundesliga side.
After Rafael Santos Borré – who had also cancelled out Joe Aribo’s opening goal with a second-half equaliser – had tucked away the decisive penalty, the 31-year-old was seen in tears on the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan turf.
Having spent the season on loan at Ibrox from Juventus, Ramsey is likely to leave Glasgow in the summer, potentially making his miss one of his last significant acts for the club.
Clearly upset, several of his teammates were seen consoling him in the moments before Frankfurt were presented with the trophy.
A painful night for Aaron Ramsey 😫#UELfinal pic.twitter.com/skKI5WfIPD
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 18, 2022
Lundstram on shootout heartbreak
Speaking after the game, midfielder John Lundstram admitted it was ‘heartbreaking’ to let the Rangers supporters down – admitting he was disappointed his side had not played better on the night.
“It’s a hard one to take, to lose on penalties. I thought we could’ve played better. It’s hard to perform on a big stage like this, it’s nervous for everyone. It’s a lottery, anyone could’ve missed,” he said.
“To let everyone down is heartbreaking.”
Rangers’ attention now turns to the weekend, and the Scottish Cup final against Hearts.
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