Fuming Kris Boyd confessed that multiple factors including Philippe Clement not withdrawing Jefte earlier and the ongoing stadium situation ultimately "cost" Rangers their opportunity at a significant Champions League windfall.
The Light Blues fell to a 2-0 defeat (3-1 aggregate) against Dynamo Kyiv, with the Scottish Premiership giants playing the final 40 minutes rueing the sending off of their summer recruit.
Boyd was unsure why Ross McCausland was withdrawn at the interval rather than Jefte who already had rode his luck before the break after being cautioned.
And he wasn't afraid to stick the boot in at the Rangers board for their handling of off-field matters either as supporters voted with their feet by leaving an eerie feel around their adopted Hampden Park home on Tuesday night.
Speaking about the controversial dismissal, the ex-Rangers striker said: "I actually thought he would've been the one taken off at half-time because he was yellow carded in the first half for standing on one of the Dynamo Kyiv players foot, and he had another couple of challenges after that where you are thinking to yourself 'you better watch what you are doing'.
Read more:
-
'Horrific decision': Allan McGregor criticises Rangers referee verdict
-
Why Vaclav Cerny starts on the Rangers bench against Dynamo Kyiv
"Then when you see Cerny coming out the tunnel at half-time, you think 'yeah it's maybe going to be him', but he's picked up a second booking.
"He does jump, he is high with his arm but he does catch him."
Although after getting another view of the incident, Boyd added: "When you see it like that, it's never a yellow card. When you jump you have got to use your hands to jump. I mean honestly if that's a yellow card then the game's gone.
"This brings the whole thing with VAR, I know you can't check a second yellow card but it was that bad, horrendous actually, I can't believe he's been given a second yellow card."
Reflecting on Rangers' overall performance, the former Scotland international told Sky Sports News: "Rangers have got to pick themselves up from that. They had a couple of chances after that (the sending off) but you kind of got the feeling that they could've played all night and they wouldn't have scored.
"Whereas Kyiv hit on the counter-attack and got two goals, two well-worked goals from their point of view I must add. Obviously a lot easier against 10-men. But this is a hammer blow for Rangers.
"It was £5million, I'm not saying they would've beat Salzburg in the next round but the £5million would've been huge.
"Could that have been invested in the squad to strengthen it? There's obviously been a few players who have left. You look at that £5million, it could've got him a few players.
Read more:
- Rangers player ratings vs Dynamo Kyiv as Jefte red card proves costly
- Rangers outcast Jose Cifuentes joins Aris Thessaloniki on loan
"Like I said it's not a guarantee that you beat RB Salzburg but it's a lot of money for Rangers not to get. Especially when you go to Poland last week and you put in the performance you did. You kind of felt going back home you've got an opportunity."
Boyd wasn't done there as he took a moment to address the sparse crowd inside the national stadium, citing that the Rangers fans are clearly not happy at the way the club is being run.
He continued: "I must add to it as well, Hampden, 39 thousand people in there tonight, the Rangers fans are not happy, and rightly so.
"I think this whole situation with the stadium when you look at it, it's came back to cost Rangers again tonight when you look at it.
"Champions League nights at Ibrox, teams crumble, but tonight there wasn't really much of an atmosphere here at Hampden. Yeah a few songs but nothing what it used to be or what it should have been on a Champions League night.
"So Rangers find themselves falling out of the Champions League and they will go into the Europa League."
