Six Rangers players suffered heartbreak on Tuesday as Scotland U21s missed out on a place at the European Championships following a 1-0 defeat to Greece.
Scot Gemmill’s side came into the game knowing that three points would be enough to top Group D and seal the age group’s first berth at a tournament since 1996.
Despite an agreement being in place for his summer sale, Ross McCrorie is still technically a Rangers player.
He captained the team in Athens and was joined in the starting XI by Glenn Middleton, while fellow Gers, Nathan Patterson, Lewis Mayo, Robby McCrorie and Brian Kinnear were named on the bench.
Scotland started on the front foot with Allan Campbell and Fraser Hornby both passing up good opportunities in opening stages and they were punished for their wastefulness in the 27th minute when the hosts took the lead through Efthymis Christopoulos.
Middleton was one of Scotland’s liveliest players during his time on the pitch, but despite producing crosses for teammates and getting shots off on goal, he wasn’t able to provide a route back into the game.
The Gers winger came off as part of a double substitution in the 72nd minute, but none of his Ibrox teammates were called upon from the bench.
Despite bombarding Greece with direct football in the closing stages, Scotland weren’t able to turn things around and as a result, their qualification hopes were dashed, with the Czech Republic topping the group.
It’s a heartbreaking result for all those involved, given how close they had come to an historic achievement following a long campaign.
