Classy Hammarby end Rangers’ Europa Cup hopes
INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL

Classy Hammarby end Rangers’ Europa Cup hopes

Rangers exited the Europa Cup after last season’s finalists Hammarby left Broadwood Stadium with a three-goal victory on the night, progressing 5-0 on aggregate. The Swedish side, second in the 2026 top flight, took only 13 minutes to add to their first-leg lead. Defender Mathilde Janzen found Anna Walter with a fine through ball, and the midfielder slotted it wide of exposed goalkeeper Jenna Fife.

Rangers’ first threat came after 21 minutes, when striker Laura Berry fired straight at Hammarby goalkeeper Cajsa Andersson. Before the break, Hammarby should have extended their lead, with Iceland striker Ida Hermannsdottir and midfielder Elin Sorum squandering chances from close range.

For all the Scottish Women’s Premier League leaders’ possession, Rangers had to wait until the 58th minute to threaten again, Berry once more firing straight at Andersson. Two minutes later, the tie was over as Hermannsdottir ran onto a superb through ball before another clinical finish for last season’s Swedish league runners-up.

An emphatic victory was secured when 16-year-old midfielder Fanny Peterson, who had also scored in the first leg, pounced after Svea Rehnberg’s close-range effort was parried by Fife. The result ended Scotland’s hopes in Europe’s second-tier competition after champions Heart of Midlothian were defeated earlier in the evening by Real Sociedad.