The real reason Rangers lost Champions League showdown as former Ibrox ace looks beyond ropey Dynamo Kyiv ref

Former Rangers striker Oleg Salenko claims their weak midfield is why they were dumped out of the Champiosn League at the third qualifying stage.

A second half red card flashed to Brazilian ace Jefte left Gers furious. Italian ref Marco Guida issued a second yellow card during their defeat to Dynamo Kyiv this week, leaving the Light Blues a man short for most of the second period. However, Salenko, who played for Ukraine as well as the Ibrox club in the early 90s before moving to Valencia, reckons Philippe Clement and his players should look closer to home rather than blame a ropey ref.

He said: "Rangers had no midfield - they had no team spirit, unlike Dynamo. I can understand why they were unhappy at the sending off because in Scottish football, the Rangers player wouldn't have even have received any of the yellow cards. They are used to playing that way in Scotland.

"Of course, the red card gave Dynamo a lucky break because it meant Rangers were very tired at the end of the match. And Dynamo certainly won it in midfield.

"From 70 minutes on, you could tell Rangers were finished. Dynamo will have to improve in the next round though. While Rangers are a team that relies on their physicality, Dynamo will now play teams who can also play football."