Rangers 0 - 2 VfB Stuttgart

Rangers crashed out of Europe with a game to spare as Stuttgart consigned the Ibrox side to a third home defeat in Champions League Group G.

Sebastian Rudy slotted the visitors in front early on and Zdravko Kuzmanovic powered in a header on 59 minutes.

Kris Boyd squandered a great chance to level when he headed over from close range but Rangers produced little else.

And the margin of victory could have been much greater but for a string of good saves from Allan McGregor.

Manager Walter Smith fielded an adventurous line-up in a game Rangers had to win but the hosts were hemmed back for most of the game as Stuttgart played with real vim and vigour.

With Alexander Hleb at the heart of everything, the German side fizzed first-time passes across the rain-sodden pitch, cutting through the home ranks with alarming ease.

Following heavy defeats to Sevilla and Unirea Urziceni at Ibrox, Rangers' deficiencies at this level were again cruelly exposed.

Smith's defenders could not live with the pace of Stuttgart's lively forwards, while they were offered little protection from an insipid midfield.

McGregor needed to make a fine flying save to tip away a sharp shot on the turn from Brazilian-born forward Cacau.

But the Rangers goalkeeper had no answer on 16 minutes when Rudy was on hand to slot the visitors in front.

Hleb linked with marauding full-back Arthur Boka and the former Arsenal man's cutback was missed by Pavel Pogrebniak right in front of goal, only for the ball to fall kindly for his team-mate at the back post.

Stuttgart had the ball in the net again moments later when Zdravko Kuzmanovic's free-kick went straight in off the post but Matthieu Delpierre had strayed offside as the kick was taken, much to the relief of the Ibrox fans.

The frustration of the home side threatened to boil over as Boyd was booked for leading with an elbow and Kevin Thomson saw yellow for a late lunge.

Cacau fizzed an angled shot narrowly wide before Rangers began to assert themselves in the final 15 minutes of the first half.

Boyd went close with a raking strike from 20 yards before the striker missed a glaring chance to level.

Kenny Miller intercepted a slack pass and picked out his team-mate with an excellent whipped delivery from the right only for Boyd to head over from eight yards.

The visitors were again the brighter side at the start of the second half, although Steven Davis twice threatened to open up the Stuttgart defence with smart passes.

However, Rangers fell further behind on the hour when the unattended Kuzmanovic met a great cross from Rudy and planted a firm header beyond McGregor.

Soon after, McGregor kept out a stinging effort from Cacau and did brilliantly to stick out a leg and divert Pogrebniak's scuffed follow-up, with the big Russian striker allowed to carry on from a clearly offside position.

Pogrebniak then hit the post from close range after the impressive Hleb had robbed teenage defender Danny Wilson in the Rangers penalty area.

Rangers threw on substitutes Nacho Novo and John Fleck in a bid to liven up their frontline but the changes did not nothing to alter the pattern of a very one-sided match.

In the final five minutes the busy McGregor had to make saves from Stuttgart replacements Julian Schieber and Thomas Hitzlsperger, while the latter also saw a fierce shot headed away from goal by Davis.

Stuttgart will now battle it out with Unirea Urziceni for the remaining qualifying spot, with the Germans looking forward to a home tie against the Romanians, who stunned Sevilla 1-0 to move two points clear in second place.

The Spaniards have already secured their passage to the last 16 and will host Rangers, who have picked up two points on their travels, on 9 December.