Aaron Ramsey has been told he "has to live with that for the rest of his life” after missing a crucial penalty for Rangers in the Europa League final defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Wales international midfielder was the only one of the ten penalty takers not to be successful in a dramatic shootout, as he saw his effort saved by Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp. The Bundesliga side netted all five of their penalties to lift the trophy.
It followed on from a cagey and evenly-contested final with little to separate the two sides. Joe Aribo had given Rangers the lead just before the hour mark but Frankfurt striker Rafael Santos Borre – who also hit the winning penalty – levelled the tie.
Both sides had chances to win the game with the Bundesliga outfit enjoying the lion’s share of possession and opportunities during normal time, but Rangers were the stronger side in extra time. Ryan Kent’s point-blank effort was saved by Trapp in the dying minutes before Steven Davis saw his follow-up effort agonisingly deflected inches over the bar.
The two sides could not be separated over two hours of football and so the final was decided in that cruellest of manners – a penalty shootout. James Tavernier, Steven Davis, Kemar Roofe and Scott Arfield all found the net for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side but Ramsey’s effort was stopped by Trapp. Coupled with Frankfurt firing home five excellent penalties, it condemned the Scottish giants to a heartbreaking defeat.
Ramsey has now been told he will have to ‘live with that for the rest of his life’ by former Scotland international Pat Nevin. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live after the game, Nevin said: “Torture. Every time you lose a cup final is torture. After the work they put in, after the fact they got better as the game went on.
“They really believed. The standard of penalties was astonishingly high except for Ramsey. He has to live with that for the rest of his life. What an opportunity Rangers had. They'll kick themselves. It was there to be won. Had they had Morelos and Roofe fit I think they'd be walking away with this trophy.”
The Welsh international has endured a difficult time at Rangers since joining the club on loan from Juventus in January as he has picked up injuries and struggled to maintain a run of fitness.
Rangers now have to recover quickly as they face another final in three days time. Van Bronckhorst’s side take on Hearts in the Scottish Cup final on Saturday with a 3pm kick-off.
