Shell-shocked Borna Barisic trudged out of Ibrox knowing there would be no sleep ahead. There could be no slumber when the memories of last night’s brutal savaging were still playing on repeat.
And now in the cold light of day, there’s only remorse and regret for company as the Rangers defender and his team-mates face up to the sheer scale of the hammering they endured at Liverpool’s merciless hands. The evening could not have got off to a better start as Scott Arfield became the first Ibrox hero in 12 years to score in the Champions League as he fired Gers in front.
But that dream opener soon made way for a nightmare second half as Jurgen Klopp’s rampant reds ran amok. On a bleak night for a team that just five months ago found itself just moments from Europa League glory, Gio van Bronckhorst’s outfit suffered the Light Blues’ heaviest defeat since Scott Symon’s crop of 1963 were smashed 6-0 by Real Madrid. "It’s hard to find the right words,” admitted a stunned Barisic before heading back for his car.
“We can talk about Liverpool has £800 million in players, that we are new in the Champions League and still learning. But this is just unacceptable, to lose seven at home. It’s unacceptable for the club, for the players and, most of all, for the fans.
"They applauded us after the game. But we did not deserve that. This will be a long night. I don’t know when I’m going to get to sleep. It hurts a lot.
“I know this is Liverpool, a big team. But we started so well in the first half. Did what we said we were going to do. Now it's hard to find the words. I can only apologise to our fans for the second half performance.
“What went wrong? You need to see the game again. But definitely their transition was one of the things that killed us. I can analyse now but I don’t want to because my heart is very hot and my brain is very hot.
“I am very angry and very hurt. We talked in the last three games about how hard it is in the Champions League, that teams have spent 400 or 500 million on players. But for 7-1, it’s hard to find an excuse.”
Rangers summoned the spirit that took them all the way to Seville last year as they chased a result that against all odds may have kept them in the hunt for the competition’s later stages.
The roar that took them all the way to Spain was unleashed again when Arfield fired past Allisson Becker 17 minutes in. But just as Gers were unable to hold onto their lead against Eintracht Frankfurt, they again let it slip as they allowed Bobby Firminho to cancel out the opener just seven minutes later.
And if they thought losing to the Germans on penalties was a punch to the stomach, it was nothing compared to the clobbering they copped from the Koppites as Klopp’s team fired in six goals after the break - including a sensational six-minute hat-trick from substitute Mo Salah.
An unlikely Europa League lifeline remains possible but it will take some effort to shake the wounds of this one. "When Scott scored, I thought it was going to be like a lot of the good nights we had in the Europa League,” lamented Barisic. “We were positive after scoring and the first half performance was very good.
“But the second half we just lost that. You lose the things you said you will do, they show their quality. It’s hurting me a lot. We have to recover when you play at a club like this. We have a game coming up, we’re in a positive place in the league. So we’re on a positive track there.
“But this will be a long night for me, a long night for all the boys. That’s my feeling now.
“The Champions League is a giant leap from the Europa League, a big difference. We’ve talked about that, how we need to learn from the experience, and it’s true.
“But 7-1 is too much, especially after playing very well in the first half. We disappointed our fans, our clubs, ourselves. It’s hard to find the right words because I’m very hot now. We need to put ourselves back in the winning position we were in before Liverpool. We’re in a good position in the league and need to keep pushing, because that’s what big players do. That’s why we play for Rangers.”
But a painful night came at an added cost with Connor Goldson and Ryan Jack picking up knocks. And Kenny Miller - the last Rangers player to net in UEFA’s top tournament before Arfield’s strike - fears the thigh strain that forced Goldson off could have further reaching repercussions for van Bronckhorst’s team.
He said: “It will be soul destroying for them. It’s another heavy defeat at this level against a Liverpool team who were excellent in the second half.
“I still think looking at a lot of the goals that Giovanni won’t be happy with them. More importantly moving forward, the injury to Connor Goldson and Ryan Jack will prove costly, especially the Goldson one.
“He is the rock back there. He’s barely missed a minute, never mind a game over his time at Rangers. He’ll be a big big loss. You’ve just got to keep your fingers crossed that it’s not too long out for Connor as he’s the heartbeat of that Rangers defence. He holds things together. He’s such an influential player for the people about him.”
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