Rangers' hopes of winning the Europa League on home soil were finally ended by a late goal from Nico Williams, who scored for Athletic Bilbao. Rangers needed a near-perfect performance against La Liga's fourth-place team after fighting to a goalless draw at Ibrox despite playing most of the first leg with 10 men. With 11 minutes remaining, Rangers were still in the tie. After Oihan Sancet's penalty in the first half of stoppage time broke the deadlock, Williams, a Spain international, headed home Oscar De Marcos' beautiful cross to end Rangers' chances of reaching a second final in four seasons. It was a cruel blow for Barry Ferguson's team to concede the first goal at that point, but Athletic deserved it for their dominance in the first half. It was John Souttar who was penalised for running into Maroan Sannadi just as the interval approached, but Rangers did at least respond positively for a spell after the break.
Not helped by injuries to defenders Ridvan Yilmaz and Leon Balogun, they kept the ball better and went agonisingly close to an equaliser when Nicolas Raskin's close-range shot was touched on to a post by goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala.
There will be plenty of wistful thoughts about that chance, as there will be for a controversial moment when the game was goalless.
Cyriel Dessers was pulled back in the box by Dani Vivian to the extent his shirt was ripped, but the officials deemed the contact as fleeting and there was no Rangers penalty or red card.
But apart from that nervy moment and Raskin's close shave, Athletic were fairly comfortable in defence, as their dream of winning the Europa League at their San Mames home moves a step closer.
Rangers regret luck but were outclassed. There was always a sense this tie would be a bridge too far for Rangers. Athletic are flying high in La Liga and on a mission to win this tournament.
However, the Ibrox side have had a habit of performing near miracles on the Europa League stage, consistently defying the odds.
But when Dessers' ripped shirt only lead to a yellow card for the Nigerian for dissent rather than a penalty, you got the sense there would be no luck on their side.
As they tried to adjust, injuries to Balogun, Ianis Hagi, and Yilmaz forced Ferguson and his staff into multiple reorganizations. But luck and injuries aside, Rangers were also outclassed over the tie.
Athletic, channelling the energy of a fervent crowd, hounded them out of possession and piled the pressure on in the first half.
Rangers went close to holding out until half-time, but Souttar's foul robbed them of the chance to regroup with the game goalless.
A brief flurry after the break and the fact their hosts had only found one goal kept hope flickering, but Athletic have the best defensive record in La Liga and largely held them at arms' length until Williams pounced to extinguish it.
Rangers can be proud of another good run at this level, but their season is now over and the questions will start about an uncertain future.
When will the takeover by the San Francisco 49ers group be completed? Who will the manager be? How many players will leave?
After a trophy-less season, the club can only focus on these two issues. Athletic performance in the home final Athletic, a club who only play Basque players, are built on emotion and identity.
A chance to win a Europa League at San Mames is once in a lifetime for these players and their fans, and this squad appear to be carrying that pressure lightly.
Experienced coach Ernesto Valverde is a calming influence and has this side playing disciplined but exciting football, with their first-half pressing particularly impressive.
While in the second half they kept calm when Rangers had their moments to get the job done with a bit to spare.
They also have a star in Spain's European Championship winner Nico Williams, who will challenge Manchester United in the semis as they attempt to reach their first final since 2012, when Marcelo Bielsa led them there. Barry Ferguson, Rangers interim head coach: "Obviously disappointed. The work rate was there but the quality wasn't.
"[We should have had] two penalties. It's a clear pull on Cyriel [Dessers], it's a clear red card. Another penalty is awarded when it strikes the defender's hand during the second half with Nicolas [Raskin]. "At the end of the day, we were up against a quality team. Sometimes you have to hold your hands up.
"It's going to hurt. We need to go away and reflect a bit before finishing the season as strongly as possible."
Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers: "Ball gets deflected into the box, I think I can get to it, then my shirt gets pulled.
"Even if there's doubt, you can look at the shirt. It's not possible in he middle of the pitch, it's not possible in the box.
"We're on the wrong side of it today. It's painful.
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