Rangers put all their recent troubles behind them to
move effortlessly into the quarter-finals of the
League Cup with a 6-0 win over Forfar Athletic at
Ibrox last night.
The Cup Holders went into this tie on the back of
their worst run in three years, having failed to win
any of their past five games, but there was never the
slightest doubt over tonight’s outcome.
On more than one occasion in this tournament Forfar
have come perilously close to eliminating the Ibrox
men - in the 1977-78 Semi-Final at Hampden they were
just seven minutes away from a historic win of Berwick
proportions before Derek Parlane’s equaliser took the
tie into extra-time (Rangers eventually winning 5-2),
and then in a penalty shoot-out in Season 1985-86 Ian
McPhee had a spot-kick to eliminate the Cup Holders
only for Nicky Walker to save the day. Any dreams the
Station Park outfit had of a similar outcome to this
match were all too quickly dissolved however.
Manager Alex McLeish made four changes from the eleven
who had offered up such a dismal display on Saturday
with Stefan Klos, Fernando Ricksen, Michael Ball and
Michael Arteta being replaced by Allan McGregor,
Maurice Ross, Stephen Hughes and Peter Lovenkrands. To
the surprise of many, Nuno Capucho retained his place
in the side.
Paulo Vanoli almost produced a spectacular opener
inside two minutes when his dipping shot from the
touchline almost caught Michael Brown by surprise, the
Forfar goalkeeper touching the ball over the crossbar.
It was one-way traffic - Egil Ostenstad coming close
seven minutes later when his turn and shot from twenty
yards from a Hughes pass flashed just over.
The opening goal was inevitable - and duly arrived in
fourteen minutes when Christian Nerlinger swept the
ball home from Ostenstad’s pass.
Seven minutes later it was 2-0 when Nuno Capucho made
space on the right before squaring for Lovenkrands who
had the simple task of turning the ball into the net.
The same combination almost made it three in 26
minutes when a bullet header from Lovenkrands off a
Capucho cross came thundering back off the inside of a
post.
Forfar should have reduced the deficit on the
half-hour when Hugh Davidson skied a Paul Tosh cross
well over with the goal at his mercy.
Ricksen replaced the limping Vanoli at the interval.
Rangers restarted in very much the same mode as
throughout the first-half - on the offensive - a
Hughes drive from Lovenkrands’ run being held by Brown
in the opening seconds.
There was no respite for the visitors - and Capucho it
was who made it 3-0 in 49 minutes with a diving header
from point-blank range after Ostenstad’s drive from a
Ricksen pass had been blocked by the ‘Loons’
goalkeeper.
Within seconds it should have four when Lovenkrands
shot over with the goal at his mercy when the ball
broke to him after a mistimed header by Ibrox employee
David Stewart.
It scarcely mattered - Hughes combining with Ostenstad
in 52 minutes to slice open the Forfar defence, laying
the ball on a plate for Nerlinger who slotted the ball
home.
There was no letting-up from the Light Blues - Capucho
almost bringing the house down with a spectacular
mid-air scissors-kick from a Ricksen cross only to see
Brown touch the ball to safety on the hour, then four
minutes later Hughes was inches wide with a low drive
after Emerson’s chip had been nodded into his path by
Ostenstad.
There were still more goals to come however - and
Nerlinger it was who completed his first-ever
hat-trick in 69 minutes with a twenty-yard drive after
Capucho’s cross was only half-cleared.
Five minutes later it was six when Ostenstad finally
scored his first goal for the club, volleying the ball
home after Ricksen’s cross had been headed down by
Nerlinger.
Within a matter of minutes the Norwegian almost
snatched his second when his turn and shot from a
Ricksen pass was blocked by the goalkeeper’s legs, a
feat Brown repeated six minutes later when he
deflected wide a Ross drive from all of 25 yards from
a Capucho pass.
Darryl Duffy was introduced to the fray in 84 minutes,
replacing Lovenkrands for his first-team debut, but it
was another substitute, Chris Burke, who had the final
effort on goal in the dying seconds when his curling
left-foot shot was just wide of goal.
Manager Alex McLeish was relieved afterwards:
"I’m glad we’re over this run. We started at a good
tempo. It was important for first-team squad members
to get ninety minutes and achieve much-needed match
fitness."
RANGERS McGregor; Ross (Duffy 84), Moore,
Khizanishvili, Vanoli (Ricksen 45); Emerson, Hughes,
Nerlinger; Capucho, Ostenstad, Lovenkrands (Burke 77)
UNUSED SUBS Berg, Christiansen
FORFAR ATHLETIC Brown; Lunan (Maher 60), Rattray; Horn
(McClune 63), Stewart (Lowing 63), Byers; Sellars,
Davidson, Tosh, Henderson, Shields
UNUSED SUBS Taylor, Ferrie
REFEREE Stuart Dougal