Attendance 14, 876
Aberdeen had not beaten Rangers for fully five years
and eighteen matches – indeed it was in this very
tournament that Andy Dow’s late winner eliminated the
Cup Holders in the dying embers of extra-time in
December 1999.
This was arguably the first time that Rangers had
travelled to Pittodrie as other than favourites since
the Alex Ferguson Era and Manager Alex McLeish made no
fewer than five changes from Sunday with Gregory
Vignal, Zurab Khizanishvili, Bob Malcolm, Shota
Arveladze and Steven Thompson replacing Maurice Ross,
Dragan Mladenovic, Peter Lovenkrands, Nacho Novo and
Steven Thompson against opponents who had lost just
one goal in seven games this season – and that a
penalty at Tannadice.
A Rangers’ team wearing all-white almost presented
their opponents with a gift start when Craig Moore’s
pass to Jean-Alain Boumsong inside sixty seconds
instead found Darren Mackie who was blocked by the
outrushing Stefan Klos.
Having survived that scare, the visitors settled and
almost took the lead on fifteen minutes when Steven
Thompson’s turn and shot from a Paulo Vanoli pass
whistled just wide.
Sixty seconds later the roles were reversed –
Thompson’s head-flick finding Vanoli whose 25-yard
drive was just over.
The best chance of the match fell at the other end
however when Steve Tosh’s cross found Richard Foster
in acres of space only for his header to be directed
closer to the corner-flag than the goal, yet an
attempted Moore clearance fell to Steven Craig who
shot wide of the target.
The Dons now had the ascendancy – Craig’s shot in 22
minutes from a Derek Adams pass flying over, then six
minutes later Craig shrugged off Malcolm, creating
space for himself before shooting wide of the target.
The opening goal arrived on the stroke of half-time
with a superb Ricksen free-kick from 22 yards that
left home goalkeeper David Preece without an earthly.
There could scarcely have been a better time to score,
and the crucial strike left the huge travelling
support in good voice at the interval.
Aberdeen were far from out of it however – Scott
Severin forcing Klos to fist clear with a header from
an Adams corner on the hour.
Six minutes later a Gregory Vignal error gave the home
side a sniff of an equaliser – Tosh’s cross finding
Scott Muirhead at the back post only for the
substitute to shoot wide from a tight angle.
Bob Malcolm became the first Ranger to be yellow
carded (three home players having suffered a similar
fate) in 70 minutes for a foul on Russell Anderson.
Aberdeen had the majority of possession at this stage,
without creating many clear-cut chances, although
Adams skinned the crossbar from a Mackie pass in 74
minutes.
Three minutes later Ricksen almost made it a dead-ball
double with a twenty-yard free-kick that was held at
the second attempt by Preece.
With time ticking away the Dons were growing more and
more desperate – exemplified in 81 minutes when
Richard Foster’s cross flashed across the face of goal
just as fighting broke out amongst the home fans.
The outcome of the tie was sealed in 87 minutes
however when substitute Nacho Novo, having replaced
the ineffective Arveladze just sixty seconds earlier,
saw his cross laid off by Chris Burke into the path of
Thompson who swept the ball home.
Deep into injury time Bob Malcolm was somewhat
unfortunate to receive a second yellow card and
subsequent red following a tussle with Steven Tosh
that was very much fifty/fifty.
The final whistle brought considerable joy to the
Light Blue legions, and afterwards Alex McLeish summed
up:
“We knew we could achieve a win tonight. The players
showed great commitment and character – they stood up
to be counted. I’m proud of the lads. We owed it to
the fans.”
On Fernando Ricksen, ‘Eck’ commented:
“He demonstrates leadership roles both in the
dressing-room and on the pitch. He loves this club –
we want him to stay.”
The under-fire Ibrox boss also pointed out:
“The squad is down to the bare bones. We played three
defenders in midfield tonight.”
ABERDEEN Preece; Hart, McGuire, Anderson, McNaughton;
Adams, Tosh, Severin, Foster; Mackie, Craig (Muirhead
43)
UNUSED SUBS Esson, Morrison, Tiernan, Considine
RANGERS Klos; Ricksen, Moore, Boumsong, Vignal; Burke,
Khizanishvili, Malcolm, Vanoli; Arveladze (Novo 86),
Thompson
UNUSED SUBS Andrews, Lovenkrands, Hughes, G. Smith
REFEREE Kenny Clark