League with a 2-0 win over Anorthosis Famagusta at
Ibrox tonight courtesy of superb goals from Thomas
Buffel and Dado Prso.
Manager Alex McLeish made two changes from Saturday
with Fernando Ricksen and Peter Lovenkrands replacing
Marvin Andrews and Alex Rae.
A one-minute silence in memory of the victims of the
Cypriot Air Disaster was held before kick-off.
The Light Blues went into tonight's second leg with a
2-1 lead from Nicosia, but any thoughts that the
outcome was a foregone conclusion were soon dissipated
by an impressive opening from the visitors, firstly
when Temur Ketsbaia rifled a thirty-yard shot against
an upright in thirteen minutes, then just two minutes
later the Player-Manager, booed by the 48,500 crowd
from the opening seconds, went through only to see
Ronald Waterreus block his effort.
Rangers were taking some time to get started, but Dado
Prso brought the crowd to life in 28 minutes when he
cut across the eighteen-yard line before firing a
left-foot shot just wide.
Sixty seconds later the Croatian might have done
better when he headed over from a Barry Ferguson
free-kick, and again in 33 minutes the same
combination saw the header this time wide of the mark.
Rangers were now in command, having nullified the
early Anorthosis threat with Prso an ever-growing
danger, firing wide four minutes later from a Thomas
Buffel opening.
The breakthrough arrived in 38 minutes, and when it
arrived it was a thing of beauty - Buffel moving on to
a Nacho Novo flick before sweeping the ball high into
the far corner of the net as he moved away from the
goal.
Ketsbaia was still a danger however - testing
Waterreus with a turn and shot in 44 minutes that the
goalkeeper parried, Nicos Frousos just failing to make
contact with the rebound.
The last chance of the half came at the other end
however - Novo racing through on a Barry Ferguson pass
to round goalkeeper Antonis Giorgallides only to see
his effort from a tight angle just miss the target.
Novo again was in the thick of the action in 53
minutes, shooting over from a Ricksen cross, then
three minutes later Buffel, moving clear on a Ferguson
through-ball, saw his chip thwarted by Giorgallides.
The second goal was merely delayed however - Prso
winning possession some 25 yards out before turning
one way, then the other as he advanced and rifled the
ball into the net in 57 minutes.
The Croatian, in superb form, was substituted eight
minutes later by Steven Thompson, going off to a
standing ovation.
The Cypriots had not yet given up the ghost however -
Frousos heading wide from a Georgios Xenides cross in
66 minutes.
Buffel had been the perfect foil for Prso with his
movement and blind-side running - not to mention his
goal - and he almost brought the house down four
minutes later when, having dummied a Ferguson pass to
wrong-foot his opponent, he then saw his fierce shot
from Novo's flick held at the second attempt by
Giorgallides.
It was all Rangers now - and Novo might have done
better than shoot straight at the goalkeeper in 71
minutes from an Ian Murray pass.
Ross McCormack replaced Thomas Buffel two minutes
later, the Belgian receiving a well-deserved standing
ovation as he too left the field.
Ferguson came close in 78 minutes with a low
twenty-yarder from McCormack's corner, then in the
dying seconds Thompson should have had a third when he
headed wide from a Novo cross.
The final whistle signalled Rangers' return to the
Champions' League, and afterwards a delighted Alex
McLeish reflected:
"I'm delighted for everyone at the club. We did well,
but can do better. Our work-rate was exceptional. We
showed steely resolve. Our aim in the Champions'
League is to qualify for the next round."
RANGERS Waterreus; Ricksen, Rodriguez, Fanfan, Ball;
Buffel (McCormack 73), Ferguson, Murray (A. Rae 84),
Lovenkrands; Prso (Thompson 65), Novo
UNUSED SUBS Malcolm, Klos, Andrews, Khizanishvili
ANORTHOSIS FAMAGUSTA Giorgallides; Poursaitidis,
Xenides, Katsavakis, Loucas; Marangos (Konstantinou
51), Nicolauo, Ketsbaia (Samaras 63), Haber;
Tsitaishvili (Tsolakidis 71), Frousos
UNUSED SUBS Markou, Nagy, Kampantais, Parmakis
REFEREE Valentin Ivanov (Russia)
Attendance 48,500