THE tanks were drained and Rangers were running on empty. The fuel required for the next stage of the journey was found at its most difficult juncture so far.
Come Saturday afternoon, Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side will stop off at Hampden and aim to end a tumultuous season and heart-breaking week on a high note.
The darks clouds that hang over Ibrox in the aftermath of Seville are understandable. Yet this campaign must still have a silver lining as sights are set on the Scottish Cup.
James Tavernier has suffered his fair share of hard-to-stomach defeats and done more soul searching than anyone within the Rangers squad over recent seasons.
There is every chance that his time has come and gone in terms of European success but the captain won't allow his squad to wallow in doom and gloom as he aims to inspire Rangers to their next high after a crushing low against Eintracht Frankfurt.
"All the lads are devastated," Tavernier said. "We obviously wanted to make everyone proud.
"But I couldn’t be more proud of the team and everyone associated with Rangers – the fans who have travelled from far and wide.
"We wanted to finish by getting over the line. But it’s football.
"It went to penalties. I couldn’t be more proud of everyone who took a penalty.
"It’s hard to take. I’m not going to lie. It’s very hard to take.
"2008 was the last time we were in this final. We’re going to use this as fuel.
"We want to be in these games, playing against the best in Europe. We have to use this as fuel, especially for this weekend and we have a very important game.
"We’ll see our families and then we have to recover well. I know everyone in the changing room will give 110 per cent to pick up a trophy and finish off the season."
Rangers have no time to feel sorry for themselves as attentions turn to Hearts and a match that could see them salvage something from a campaign that has yet to return any silverware.
The Premiership title was handed back at the first time of asking, while the attempt to lift the League Cup was over before Van Bronckhorst even took office at Ibrox.
The mental toll that Wednesday night took will be just as great as the energy-sapping two hours and spot-kicks in the searing Seville heat.
"Just use this as fuel, as motivation," Tavernier said as he looked forward to the showpiece conclusion to the campaign. "It’s a cup final. There is silverware to be had.
"It’s the last game of the season and I know every single one of the boys will be firing up when that whistle comes on Saturday.
"It was a massive night, we obviously wanted to put it over the line but didn’t. We’ve got to win this Saturday, no matter what.
"We’ve got a great backroom staff who look after all the lads with the nutrition, the physios and the masseuses.
"There are top professionals in that changing room. We’ll do our very best to get back into peak condition for Saturday and we’re going to give it everything."
The performances of several players, Tavernier included, could be questioned in Seville but there can be no criticisms of the effort that Rangers put in.
A Joe Aribo strike sent the travelling support into raptures, but a late Kevin Trapp save that denied Ryan Kent was the beginning of the end for Van Bronckhorst's side.
Rafael Borre was the man that equalised and then scored the winning penalty after Aaron Ramsey missed on a night where the temperature was as high as the stakes and the emotions.
"It was very hot but two teams had to play in it and there were drinks breaks," Tavernier said.
"We went toe-to-toe and their keeper obviously pulled off a fantastic save towards the end from Ryan. He obviously then saves a penalty so it’s fine margins.
"It’s small margins. Their keeper pulls off an absolute worldy of a save.
"Even conceding the goal is small margins. It’s gone through and then he just gets in front but these are the margins that you need to look out for when you are playing such a good team in a competition like this.
"It (Aribo's goal) was obviously unbelievable. We put ourselves in a great position.
"But it’s one of those where you don’t really think about it now because it’s the final result that obviously overshadows it."
The miss from Ramsey was the only one of the shoot-out. It was the decisive moment, one that ultimately denied Rangers their place in the history books.
The Welshman cut a disconsolate figure as the ramifications of his actions hit home and the pain was clear to see on the faces of every member of Van Bronckhorst's side.
Ramsey will not be at Ibrox for the next European campaign but there is hope for the future amid the agony of the situation Rangers find themselves in.
Tavernier said: "I couldn’t be more proud of him to step up. We’re all round him.
"We’re all round the young boys. We’ve got great experience in the dressing room and we’re all round each other.
"This is not the end of us. This is the start of something special with this team.
"We want to be building from this to make the fans proud and really push on from this moment."
It is not just Tavernier and his team-mates who will need to regroup and reassess at present as Rangers attempt to recover from a night that promised much but delivered nothing.
A sea of red, white and blue swept into Seville as 100,000 fans made the trip to Spain. Like their side, they returned home with feelings of what might have been.
Tavernier said: "I can’t thank them enough. I’m so proud of every single one of the fans, who have been supporting us in Spain, back home and all around the world.
"They came in numbers. It’s a devastating fact that you wanted to make you family proud, the club proud and the fans proud.
"But the performance is something we can be proud of. It’s just one of those fine margins."
