Alex McLeish, the Rangers manager, was understandably downbeat after his side exited the UEFA Cup at the first round in chaotic and controversial circumstances last night.

Three goals up at the start of extra time, Ronald de Boer's double ensuring an additional 30 minutes during which Neil McCann looked to have ensured the club's safe passage through to Tuesday's second-round draw, Viktoria Zizkov prevailed on the away goals rule after Marcel Licka capitalised on a moment's lapse of concentration in defence.

Rangers, though, did everything but score during their death throes; Lorenzo Amoruso's bludgeoned effort denied by the save of Pavel Kucera's career, and even a last, desperate header by Stefan Klos swept off the line.

An apparent penalty decision which was eventually scrapped was the cause of greatest anger and anguish, though. With the end in sight, Rangers thought they had been handed a lifeline by the referee, Athanassios Briakos, after Craig Moore was pole-axed by Jiri Sabou while awaiting the delivery of a corner kick.

A knee to the thigh appeared to have been missed by the Greek but, after much hesitation and a long look to his linesman for help, he twice pointed to the spot and even sent off the Zizkov defender, Jan Buryan, for his protestations.

After another consultation with his stand-side linesman, though, he changed his decision to a corner. Amid all the confusion, it seems Briakos had fluffed his lines in his first major European match. FIFA's Laws of the Game state that a penalty cannot be awarded while the ball is not active and, since the corner had not been kicked, his original decision was incorrect.

Try telling that to 47,646 supporters who had all but celebrated the last-gasp reprieve . . . far less Rangers' furious manager.

''It showed,'' was McLeish's response when informed it was the referee's first big match. ''He pointed to the spot, there was was no doubt about it, and then he changed his mind. I was totally baffled. I had seen that happen before off the ball and the referee award a penalty.''

None the less, the aggregate defeat was not down to some dodgy refereeing. Rather it was down to Rangers' own faults in the first-leg tie in Prague, when they lost two goals without reply.

De Boer was instrumental in overturning the deficit but he was a helpless spectator on the substitutes' bench by the time Licka etched his name in Zizkov's history books as the man who helped record the club's biggest upset.

''The Prague performance cost us, although we knew what we had to do tonight, it was clear and we went for it,'' said McLeish. ''We were very positive. We put Barry Ferguson in a more forward role and we got the two goals in the 90 minutes, which was the first target. I was disappointed we couldn't finish it off in 90 minutes because we certainly had the chances.''

Kucera still appeared to be shell shocked when asked to recount his gravity defying performance in goal for the visitors. He had frustrated Rangers' forwards all night with a succession of seemingly impossible stops, most notably from Amoruso.

''I am very satisfied; this is definitely my best performance ever,'' he mustered. ''In the last 15 minutes of the second half of extra time, Rangers had several opportunities and Amoruso's was definitely the best one.''

Moore is now doubtful for the Old Firm game after limping through the final moments nursing a dead leg. McLeish must hope this defeat does not have more serious side-effects to their season.