Overview
- Jagiellonia Bialystok came from behind to beat Rangers 2-1 after Kajetan Szmyt scored twice to overturn an early Guilherme Montoia own goal in the first leg on Thursday.
- Rangers return to Glasgow with a one-goal deficit and must win the second leg at Ibrox on 13 August to reach the Europa League play-off, where the tie winner will face either Larne or Iberia 1999 while the loser moves into the Conference League play-off.
- Manager Derek McInnes confirmed centre-back Ben Godfrey will miss the tie with a three to four week injury layoff, while new signings Daisuke Yokota and Olwethu Makhanya were available and travelled for the Poland game.
- Reporters and former coaches noted the Chorten Arena’s hostile atmosphere, including loud support and pyrotechnics, as a factor that favoured Jagiellonia and complicated Rangers’ night in Bialystok.
- The result continues pressure on McInnes to steady Rangers in Europe after a poor recent campaign, and UK viewers were reliant on a RangersTV stream rather than a domestic live TV pick for the first leg.