Rangers 1 (Buffel 45) Middlesbrough 0
Attendance 31,544
The new boss received a warm welcome from the 31,544
crowd, and there were four new signings in the
starting line-up – namely Lionel Letizi, Karl
Svensson, Libor Sionko and Jeremy Clement. There was a
healthy travelling support from Teeside to watch the
UEFA Cup finalists in their first pre-season fixture.
Rangers pressed from the opening minutes with Sionko's
header from a Steven Smith cross being held by
goalkeeper Ross Turnbull in four minutes.
Six minutes later Sionko again was involved – his
stabbed shot from a Thomas Buffel cross just slipping
inches wide.
Middlesbrough soon tested Letizi – Fabio Rochemback's
twenty-yard free-kick being tipped over in sixteen
minutes.
The opening goal arrived on the stroke of half-time
when Buffel coolly controlled a Dado Prso cross before
rifling the ball home.
Buffel again threatened five minutes into the
second-half when his turn and shot from a Sionko cross
was held by Turnbull.
The Riverside outfit almost levelled the scores in 67
minutes when James Morrison's header struck the top of
the crossbar from an Adam Johnsson cross.
Two minutes later Sengelese youngster Makhtar N'Diaye
was introduced to replace Sionko – but it was another
substitute Nacho Novo whose turn and twenty-yard shot
from N'Diaye's cross that tested Turnbull.
Paul Le Guen afterwards reflected on his home debut:
“I have many good reasons to be satisfied. We
displayed good rhythm in a good win. The new players
settled in well. I received an incredible welcome – I
hope it's the beginning of a good relationship with
the fans. There is however still a long way to go and
a lot of hard work to do.”
RANGERS Letizi; Hutton, Smith; Svensson, Rodriguez,
Hemdani; Sionko (N'Diaye 69), Clement (Novo 60), Prso
(Boyd 45), Buffel (Namouchi 82), Adam (Rae 60)
UNUSED SUBS Fanfan, McGregor
MIDDLESBROUGH Turnbull; Parnaby, Taylor (Bates 70);
Cattermole (Walker 86), Riggott, Pogatetz; Boateng,
Morrison, Yakubu (Maccarone 45), Rochemback, Johnson
(Craddock 70)
UNUSED SUBS Hines, Williams, Steele
REFEREE Craig Thomson