THIS was a must not lose rather than a must win for Rangers. In the end, Steven Gerrard’s side achieved neither of those ambitions.

A second defeat in Group A leaves the champions bottom of the standings. This was a damaging night in terms of their Europa League ambitions and another dark one for football.

Time will tell what the true cost of this 1-0 loss – confirmed courtesy of a David Hancko effort in the first half – is for Rangers as they aim for a place in the knockout rounds.

But there will be further comment, and surely censure, to follow after Sparta Prague were shamed by their supporters. Once again, Glen Kamara found himself at the centre of the storm.

There was always going to be more on the agenda than just the action on the park as Rangers returned to Prague. Sadly, the worst fears came to light off the pitch.

Gerrard had insisted on Wednesday that he had ‘no apprehension’ over the trip as spoke authoritatively on the ongoing fight against racism. It is a battle he knows all too well.

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The decision from UEFA to allow 10,000 local children into the Stadion Letna should have been a force for change. Instead, it highlighted just how far society has to go as Kamara was booed throughout the evening.

The midfielder had shown admirable bravery to speak out following the appalling racist abuse he received from Ondrej Kudela during the meeting with Slavia Prague in March, and in the aftermath of the incident that shamed the game.

His stance was supported across the continent, but a stadium that should have been empty following a racism incident involving Monaco’s Aurelien Tchouameni was the stage for Kamara to be heckled rather than applauded.

It provided a depressing soundtrack for a game of such significance. It was one that Rangers felt they could win, yet a tie they couldn’t really afford to lose.

The defeat to Lyon on matchday one had increased the pressure on Gerrard’s side ahead of the Sparta showdown. Rangers had to be positive, but they had to deal with another negative before a ball had been kicked.

The injury-enforced loss of Connor Goldson came to light when Rangers left Glasgow. The absences of Alfredo Morelos and Ianis Hagi only emerged when the teams were announced.

It was Gerrard’s prerogative to leave two of his biggest names on the bench. Fashion Sakala was given the chance to impress, while Juninho Bacuna earned the start that Gerrard had hinted at for a couple of weeks.

His fourth appearance would end prematurely, though. Forced off through injury after just 37 minutes, Bacuna was replaced by Hagi as Rangers sought to find a way back into the encounter.

Those pre-match selections of Sakala and Bacuna had clearly been planned, but the one which paired Leon Balogun and Calvin Bassey was a matter of necessity rather than tactical astuteness from Gerrard.

A knock picked up in training denied the Ibrox boss one of the stalwarts of his side and, with Filip Helander out of action for the foreseeable future, forced Bassey to fill-in alongside the man that will soon become his Nigerian international team-mate.

It was something of a make-shift line-up for Rangers, but it was one that would hold its own for the opening half hour. After they fell behind, it became another frustrating evening.

The pace and direct running that are such key components of Sakala’s game allowed him to get clear down the right and fire in a low shot that Florin Nita saved at his near post.

A glancing header from Joe Aribo was blocked by Filip Panak before the Prague keeper had to intervene, while Balogun should have done better as he nodded the ball wide from a promising position.

Rangers may have been struggling to keep their balance on the slick surface, but they had earned a foothold in the game against a side that carried real attacking menace.

McGregor made a wonderful stop to deny Jakub Pesek early on. There were moments of concern for Rangers, but they were comfortable for large swathes of the action.

On the half hour mark, that changed. Pesek was the provider and Hancko got the touch that made the difference, albeit with a significant slice of luck.

He would divert a corner towards the back post and the ball would come back off the woodwork. Unfortunately for Rangers, it crossed the line as it did so.

McGregor’s reactions were remarkable as he clawed the ball back, but referee Ali Palabiyik had the signal that Sparta had scored. There was no arguing with the technology as Gerrard’s side found themselves on the back foot.

The situation could, and should, have got worse before it looked like getting better for Rangers. Had the champions fallen two goals behind, defeat would have been confirmed.

Adam Hlozek got in behind down the left flank and squared the ball to Lukas Haraslin. With the goal gaping and the net seemingly set to burst, Haraslin would strike the woodwork as Rangers breathed a sigh of relief.

Another let-off would follow when Haraslin failed to beat McGregor when he only had the keeper to beat. At that stage, Sparta had the win firmly in their sights.

Sakala had been denied by the offside flag after he bundled the ball home from close range. It was as close as Rangers would come for some time.

The partnership of Balogun and Bassey was under real stress and Sparta continued to look threatening as the clock ticked on. Every minute that elapsed increased the requirement for Rangers to score, but their forays forward left space for Sparta to exploit.

With 15 minutes remaining, the task became increasingly difficult for Gerrard’s side. The second yellow card that Kamara collected was soft to say the least, and the red that followed was undoubtedly damaging for Rangers.

It had been another evening that was difficult comprehend and deal with for the Finnish internationalist. He had been disgracefully targeted from the stands throughout and his final act was to be the victim of a woeful call from the Turkish official.

Hope had faded for Rangers. Soon there was none left as a second defeat in Group A was confirmed.

A place in the knockout rounds is still within their grasps but there is significant work to be done over the remaining four matches.

This one wasn’t a must win. The same cannot be said of the double-header with Brondby that will now define Rangers’ Europa League aspirations.