Rangers U19s were defeated by twice by Stuttgart, as well as by Porto and Austrian club Rapid Vienna on a tough day at the 6-a-side Mercedes-Benz Junior Cup in Germany.
The Young Gers would have arrived at the Glaspalast in high spirits on Sunday morning, following an encouraging Saturday afternoon’s work.
After losing to Rapid Vienna in their first group match, they had beaten Eintracht Frankfurt and hammered RB Leipzig to leave themselves well placed.
However, things didn’t go as planned on day two.
The Gers had morning fixtures against Porto and Stuttgart, which would help determine who was to reach the semi-final stage.
Unfortunately, Graeme Murty’s side lost both fixtures – 2-1 against the Portuguese and 1-0 against the hosts.
Despite the defeats, though, they were offered a lifeline, with their Saturday exploits proving enough to see them through the final four on goal difference.
They took on Rapid Vienna in the semi-final but much like in yesterday’s fixture between the two sides, the Austrians dominated. They took a 2-0 lead into half-time and doubled that up in the second period to inflict a 4-0 defeat [Rangers Youth Academy Twitter].
The Gers then dropped into the third-place playoff, where they again came up against Stuttgart. A first-half blitz proved good enough for the hosts, who emerged 3-0 winners.
A disappointing day of action for the Academy side then, who suffered two narrow defeats and two heavy ones against elite opposition.
However, positives can be taken from how the players jumped head-on into an unfamiliar format and recorded impressive wins against tough opponents on day one.
We’re sure the coaching staff would have been targeting silverware at the start of the weekend, but fourth place represents a valiant effort in esteemed company.
