The veteran defender, making his 150th – and now last – European appearance, handed Zenit's star forward Hulk a goal that gave the Russians a 3-0 aggregate lead.
Paul Dixon, the Huddersfield defender making his debut for Scotland at left-back, had been the target of a Serbian plan revealed in a tactics diagram dropped on the ground while the team trained at Hampden last Friday.
While Boro were poor at one end of the pitch, Karanka could take solace from the performance of Dael Fry, the Middlesbrough-born 17-year-old defender making his league debut.
There was a moment in the closing seconds of last month's Merseyside derby when Daniel Sturridge would have broken clear on Everton's goal but for a telling interception by a young defender making his full Goodison debut.
The enduring image of the Thomas-era Knicks is the defender making a futile rush at the opponent who has put up an unguarded 3-point shot from the corner, followed by an unwise one-on-one offensive move.
The AZ keeper, Alvarado, was nowhere as a cross was swung in from the right and nobody was going to beat Rami, the big defender making sure he got there first to head home from six yards.
