A Flat First Half, Booed Off at the Break
Rough half of football from Rangers, and the Ibrox crowd let them know it. Derek McInnes had picked up his first win as manager just days earlier — a 5-1 thumping of St Mirren — but there was no carrying that momentum into this one, at least not before the break. Goalless, short on ideas, no real pressure applied on Jablonec’s goal, and the whistle at halftime was met with boos from the home end.
McInnes didn’t try to sugarcoat it afterward, admitting he’d been disappointed with a lot of the first half, saying his side lacked impetus and needed more intelligence and enthusiasm in their tempo. To Rangers’ credit, Jablonec hadn’t created much of note either — McInnes pointed out the Czech side barely caused any real goalmouth trouble of their own.
Naderi Breaks Through, Then Devlin Sees Red
Rangers came out with far more purpose after the interval, and it paid off in the 50th minute — Ryan Naderi gave the Gers a crucial, if slender, lead, finishing off a Daisuke Yokota assist to finally get the home crowd on their feet. Vanja Dragojevic went even closer to a second not long after, cracking the post with an effort that would have made the night far more comfortable.
It didn’t stay entirely straightforward, though. Cammy Devlin was shown a red card for a high challenge, leaving Rangers to see out the rest of the game with ten men against a Jablonec side now with everything to play for. To their credit, the Gers held firm, managing the closing stages well enough to protect the lead through to the final whistle.
What It Means Next
It’s a slim but valuable advantage for Rangers heading into the second leg in the Czech Republic next Thursday, and McInnes was clear afterward that there’s still plenty of work to do, while also stressing the importance of building confidence through results at this stage of his tenure. He singled out Djeidi Gassama’s missed chance to make it two as a big moment that got away, and said the priority now is making sure Rangers travel to Jablonec as strong as possible to finish the job. Before that, though, Rangers are back in Premiership action at home to Aberdeen on 30 August.
Match Summary
Rangers 1-0 Jablonec UEFA Conference League, Qualification Play-off, 1st Leg — Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow, Scotland Thursday, 20 August 2026 Referee: Marian Barbu
Goal: 50′ Ryan Naderi (Rangers) 1-0 (assist: Daisuke Yokota)
Red card: Cammy Devlin (Rangers) — high challenge
Result: Rangers win the first leg 1-0 despite finishing with ten men, taking a narrow aggregate lead into next week’s second leg in the Czech Republic.
For live Conference League qualifying scores and coverage, visit fawanews. Full results and bracket at the official UEFA Conference League website.
