are to reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup following
tonight's goalless draw with Sporting Lisbon at Ibrox.
Manager Walter Smith made two changes from Saturday
with Sasa Papac and Brahim Hemdani replacing Steven
Whittaker and Christian Dailly.
Both sides started cautiously with Rangers determined
to avoid conceding a goal, something only Stuttgart
and Lyon have achieved at Ibrox this season.
Goalscoring opportunities were few and far between -
but the pace of the game picked up as the half
developed, and Rangers came agonisingly close to
beaking the deadlock in 43 minutes when Lee
McCulloch's snap-shot from fully thirty yards produced
a superb one-handed save from Sporting goalkeeper Rui
Patricio.
Two minutes later, right on the half-time whistle,
McCulloch's header from a Steve Davis cross was
finger-tipped wide by the Portuguese goalkeeper.
Rangers restarted on the offensive, Davis' twenty-yard
shot from a McCulloch cross flashing wide seven
minutes after the restart.
Sixty seconds later at the other end Leandro Grimi
streaked away down the left on a Joao Moutinho flick
only to see his shot beaten away by 'Gers goalkeeper
Allan McGregor.
Sporting however have a sound away record in Europe
this season, with victories in Basle and Kiev, not to
mention a draw in the last round at Bolton's Reebok
Stadium - and Grimi almost secured a priceless away
goal on the hour when his 25-yard shot was deflected
wide.
The Lisbon side were now becoming more adventurous,
and Simon Vukcevic was twice thwarted in efforts to
break the deadlock - firstly midway through the half
when, worming his way through, he saw his twenty-yard
effort held by McGregor then six minutes on his
near-post header from a Veluso corner was just wide.
The peerless David Weir had kept the home side secure
all night, but it all almost came undone in the
closing stages when firstly his error led to Liedson
playing a one-two with substitute Yannick Djalo only
for McGregor to smother the ball, then in 87 minutes
he conceded a free-kick some 25 yards out with a tug
on Liedson that saw Russian Referee Yuri Baskakov
produce a yellow card that will leave the central
defender suspended for the Lisbon return.
Veluso's free-kick was held by McGregor and the game
ended goalless, leaving Rangers with a massive task in
Lisbon next week if they are to reach the last four,
although no doubt Walter Smith will take comfort from
the knowledge that they have scored just as many goals
away from home as they have in Glasgow in this
season's European campaign.
Afterwards the Ibrox Boss reflected:
"We didn't play as well as we have done in Europe. I
always expected a tight game. There were few clear-cut
opportunities, but we have managed to get goals in
away games this season."
RANGERS McGregor; Broadfoot, Weir, Cuellar, Papac;
Davis, Ferguson, Hemdani, Thomson, McCulloch;
Darcheville (Novo 71)
UNUSED SUBS Alexander, Boyd, Burke, Whittaker, Dailly,
Naismith
SPORTING LISBON Patricio; Abel, Polga, Tonel, Grimi;
Moutinho, Veloso, Romagnoli, Izmailov (Pereirinha 69);
Vukcevic (Yannick Djalo 74), Liedson
UNUSED SUBS Tiago, Pedro Silva, Adrien Silva,
Farnerud, Gladstone
REFEREE Yuri Baskakov (Russia)
Attendance 48,923