Rangers 1 Club Brugge 3 – Martin will need motherly love after shambolic collapse leaves Champions League dream on brink

DEAR Kerry, make sure you give your boy Russell another quick call.

He’ll need some motherly love after this defeat which has left him fearing Champions League heartache.

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Rangers boss Martin revealed on the eve of this sobering play-off, first leg that even his mum had become concerned with the level of flak being aimed at him on social media.

The growing pressure following a far from convincing start to his Gers era.

He assured her he was just fine. That he was loving the job.

Well, after this loss from the superbly slick and ruthless Belgian outfit and some ferocious in-match fan reaction, his beloved mum will anxiously want to hear him say it again.

To say Rangers were a catastrophic shambles after just 20 minutes would be an understatement.

Romeo Vermant, three minutes, Jorne Spileers, seven minutes, and Brandon Mechele, 20 minutes, had already put the class-apart visitors three ahead – and many raging Bears immediately streamed out of the stadium.

And their disgust was absolutely understandable after a shocking opening from their team.

It looked to be a tie rapidly OVER.

Danilo netted early second half as Rangers improved – they had to – and they will cling to this for hope for the return leg.

But even despite some remarkable Euro results for the Gers in recent years, surely the Belgians won’t blow this at their Jan Breydel Stadium next Wednesday.

Club Brugge were big favourites going into it and they emphatically showed why in a dazzling first half which left shell-shocked Rangers needing smelling salts at half-time.

It could easily have been more for the Belgians who, mercifully for their hosts, dropped a level second half.

Martin didn’t mess about with his team selection – startlingly putting 19-year-old rookie loan capture Jayden Meghoma straight in while also keeping hugely experienced Euro skipper James Tavernier on the bench.

It was a massive call, the most eye-catching of seven changes from the win over Alloa.

Brentford starlet Meghoma had only been registered the night before.

Last serious game? April 21, 58 minutes from the start for loan club Preston at Hull.

Twenty two senior games in his fledgling career.

Never played in Euro, yet here he was pitched straight into a huge Champions League play-off with £40 million at stake.

However, what was key was the faith of Martin who coached him at Southampton.

And, you know what, the kid with an assist didn’t let anyone down for his 70 minutes…unlike some of his far more senior team-mates in a desperately poor first half.

Europa League finalist Tavernier, meanwhile, had featured from the start in the previous round in Plzen and is comfortably the most experienced player in boss Martin’s squad.

But he still wasn’t being trusted for this.

He was even on the bench for the Wasps visit and Max Aarons got the right-back slot.

Back in were Jack Butland, John Souttar, Mohamed Diomande, Oliver Antman, Djeidi Gassama and Nico Raskin.

Club Brugge came to town motivated to get this time what they didn’t, and should’ve, against Celtic at Parkhead in the competition league phase nine months ago…a victory.

Seven players from that Paradise evening featured in Govan.

Anyone who saw Nicky Hayen’s men against the Hoops absolutely fancied them to crush the Light Blues.

After just three minutes they were totally gifted an opener – with Nasser Djiga and Jack Butland blaming each other.

A straightforward Christos Tzolis through ball looked trouble free for loan man Djiga.

He turned waiting for his keeper to come…only for Butland, after initially appearing to dart out, deciding to back-track.

By now Djiga had made the incredible decision to just stop, Vermant dashed in and promptly chipped Butland from 35-yards with effortless class.

That sparked fury from the stands, but matters would only get worse.

Club Brugge made it 2-0 just a few minutes later – a Tzolis corner appearing to be flicked on and leaving an unmarked Spileers, just 10 yards out, with the opportunity to shoot past Butland with the aid of a slight deflection.

It was an incredible start for the Belgians, a complete nightmare for Rangers – with Martin and his players slaughtered by supporters.

Then it became 3-0 – Mechele storming towards the box to take control of the ball, brushing aside a Ger, before blasting a stunning right shot home from 22-yards.

Deafening jeers told the story of what the irate Follow-Followers were making of it all.

A Joe Rothwell free-kick narrowly wide after 26 minutes was the first positive moment for Gers. Then Gassama fired past the far post.

But Butland had to save brilliantly from Carlos Forbs, then right on half time Aarons was caught sleeping by Tzolis who shot wide of the far post.

Loudly booed off, the Light Blues HAD to show more.

And a three-yard strike from Danilo – previously anonymous – from an excellent Meghoma drilled cross in the 50th minute provided a masive lift.

Suddenly, Club Brugge had a bit of pressure to deal with.

Butland, though, was still needed to prevent more pain at the other end.

Eleven minutes from normal time Gassama thought he’d made it 3-2 after some byeline trickery and real determination before eventually forcing the ball home inside the six-yard box to keeper Simon Mignolet’s anger.

But VAR official Willy Delajod called ref Francois Letexier to the monitor – and it was soon ruled out with Mignolet adjudged to have had the ball in his grasp.

Rangers pushed hard in the closing stages, at least showing some spirit and Mignolet saved from sub Hamza Igamane.

But, ultimately, it was a hard, hard night for boss Martin who had to listen to his team being booed at full-time.

Over to you Kerry.

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