Rangers were knocked out of a European competition for the second time within five weeks last night - they lost in Champions League qualifying to Gothenburg in August - and Rino Gattuso's splendid goal seemed merely to intensify the pain of elimination.

That 12th-minute strike nullified Strasbourg's 2-1 lead from the first leg, but it was the last moment of promise shown by the Ibrox side. In the end, they were clearly second best, even after Strasbourg's Cristophe Kinet was dismissed during the second half.

Rangers took the lead somewhat against the run of play, and just as Strasbourg were beginning to assert themselves. Raphael Miceli had tried to release Conteh with a long pass from defence, but the ball rebounded from Stuart McCall straight to Laudrup, who played it to Gattuso on the left.

The Italian teenager drove into the penalty area on the left, beating Alexander Ven Cel with a terrific low left-foot shot to the goalkeeper's left from 12 yards.

Strasbourg deservedly equalised in the 36th minute. David Zitelli, who had replaced Miceli in the 18th minute, delivered a cross from the left which Staale Stensaas missed. Gerald Baticle, the French captain who had scored both goals from penalties in the first leg, drove the ball low and hard past Goram from 10 yards.

Rangers now needed to score two goals, and just after half-time that had increased to three when Zitelli, Strasbourg's leading scorer, struck. Stephane Collet swept a low, curling cross towards the six-yard box and Zitelli slid in ahead of Sergio Porrini to beat Goram left-footed from six yards.

Soon afterwards Strasbourg were reduced to 10 men when Kinet, having been cautioned for a first-half foul on Negri, took Paul Gascoigne's feet and the Austrian referee showed the red card.

It was, until then, the only moment in which the England midfielder had shown himself to be anything like a threat.