More punishment for Rangers at the hand of a Belgian opponent. A familiar combination of self-destruction and the poor defending endemic under Russell Martin deepened the gloom. Reduced to ten men after Mohamed Diomande’s reckless first-half challenge, insult was added by Genk’s goal being scored by a former Celtic striker in Oh Hyeon-gyu.

Martin has talked of “results coming through difficulty” but could barely have chosen to manage a club where poor results will cause more difficulty. Ibrox was undersold, just 38,000 there, though in attendance was Andrew Cavanagh, the co-owner glad-handling fans before kick-off. The American health insurance entrepreneur’s scheduled visit to Glasgow has allowed him to experience what fans have been served during his choice of manager’s short reign.

A competition that returned European glory nights to Govan in recent years has gained even more importance. If falling so far behind Celtic – and Hearts – damns Martin, a repeat of the 9-1 Champions League qualifier drubbing by Brugge could only deepen his unpopularity. Martin had made one change from a weekend League Cup win over Hibernian that brought temporary relief, Youssef Chermiti making his first start as centre-forward.

Genk, coached by former Bayern Munich player Thorsten...