at Hampden this afternoon, defeating Dundee United on
penalties following a 2-2 draw, the Ibrox men twice
netting late equalisers through substitute Kris Boyd
in both normal and extra-time.
The triumph marks the Light Blues' 25th success in the
tournament, inaugurated in Season 1946-47.
Rangers appeared leaden-footed and sluggish, no doubt
a consequence of Bremen as United took the game to the
Light Blues' goal, and Carlos Cuellar made a superb
overhead clearance in eight minutes to deny Noel Hunt
as he homed in on a Willo Flood cross.
Eleven minutes later at the other end Barry Ferguson's
volley from a Kirk Broadfoot cross was beaten out by
United goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska.
The Tannadice men were causing Rangers all manner of
problems defensively - and when Morgaro Gomis' cross
was flicked on by Mark De Vries in 28 minutes, Allan
McGregor struggled under pressure from Lee Wilkie
before Sasa Papac cleared the danger.
The opening goal was coming however - and it was no
surprise when it arrived five minutes later, Noel Hunt
forcing the ball home after his original drive had
been beaten out by McGregor, the ball being returned
into the danger area by a De Vries chip.
Rangers were at times being run ragged, and might have
gone two down on the stroke of half-time when Willo
Flood's cross, flicked on by De Vries, was deflected
goalwards by Sasa Papac only to be cleared off the
line by Cuellar.
Walter Smith recognised that he had to change things
at the interval, and in replacing Brahim Hemdani with
Jean-Claude Darcheville he moved from 4-5-1 to 4-4-2.
Many were surprised that Hemdani was the one to be
substituted, for there were certainly plenty of
candidates.
United had a penalty claim denied by Referee Kenny
Clark early in the second-half when Cuellar tangled
with Christian Kalvenes - but it would have been a
soft award.
Darcheville had made an impact - and a trademark
surging run from a Christian Dailly pass in 57 minutes
almost produced the equaliser, his effort being
deflected wide by Zaluska.
Boyd replaced Papac on the hour, with Dailly moving to
full-back.
Darcheville had a goal controversially disallowed in
76 minutes when he headed home a Ferguson free-kick,
but Kenny Clark ruled that he had not signalled for
the free-kick to be taken.
Six minutes later Darcheville was denied by Zaluska
from a Boyd head-flick when the Polish goalkeeper made
a superb one-handed save.
There seemed no way back for Rangers - yet in the 84th
minute Mark Kerr, in space and with time to dispose of
the ball as he pleased, chose to pass the ball back to
his goalkeeper, unaware of the presence of the lurking
Boyd who promptly slotted the ball home for the
equaliser.
Suddenly Rangers were re-invigorated, but despite
incessant pressure in the closing minutes there was no
winning goal and an extra thirty minutes it was.
United regained the lead five minutes into extra-time
when De Vries netted with a fine drive after the ball
had been laid into his path by Prince Buaben following
a left-wing run by Craig Conway.
Rangers seemed down and out, an exhausted team with
nothing left to give, yet somehow they dredged up
unseen resources to equalise for a second time in 112
minutes when Boyd headed home a Steve Davis chip.
Steven Whittaker replaced the ineffective Chris Burke
three minutes later, the winger being booed as he left
the field of play. The only surprise was surely that
it had taken the Ibrox management so long to recognise
the need to replace him.
So to penalties, and when Darcheville struck the
underside of the crossbar after Flood had converted
United's first kick the pendulum was swinging towards
Tannadice. Conway however struck an upright with the
next penalty and when Whittaker slotted the ball home
it was all-square. De Vries and Davis both did the
business to make it 2-2 after three apiece, but both
goalkeepers had a part to play in this shoot-out,
McGregor saving from David Robertson before Zaluska
did likewise from Lee McCulloch.
The final drama was unfolding when Lee Wilkie was
denied by McGregor, leaving the stage clear for Boyd
to ram the ball home for Rangers' 25th League Cup and
their first major trophy in three years.
Later a contented Walter Smith commented:
"I was delighted to win an excellent final. It was a
terrific team effort. Dundee United were the better
team in the first-half, we were the better in the
second. You always need to keep winning at this club.
I don't know where the season will take us - we have a
demanding schedule ahead."
One could not fail to have a measure of sympathy for
Dundee United, who had come so close to success
watched by their terminally-ill Chairman Eddie
Thompson. Manager Craig Levein was close to tears as
he reflected:
"I feel as if I've gone fifteen rounds with Mohammed
Ali. It was a cruel way to lose. We were in the
ascendancy before losing both goals. We played our
best game of the season against a very good side. The
players are devastated."
DUNDEE UNITED Zaluska; Kovacevic, Wilkie, Kenneth,
Kalvenes; Kerr, Flood, Buaben (Robertson 96), Gomis;
Hunt (Conway 77), De Vries
UNUSED SUBS Dods, Dillon, McLean
RANGERS McGregor; Broadfoot, Cuellar, Weir, Papac
(Boyd 60); Davis, Ferguson, Dailly, Hemdani
(Darcheville 45), Burke (Whittaker 115); McCulloch
UNUSED SUBS Thomson, Alexander
REFEREE Kenny Clark
Attendance 50,019