Wednesday May 14, 2008 Finished
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Rangers broken-hearted in UEFA final
Igor Denisov's 72nd-minute goal broke Rangers' stubborn resistence as Zenit St Petersburg ground out a 2-0 victory in a predictably tight UEFA Cup final at the City of Manchester Stadium. More
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Live Commentary
Time:90'- Zenit St Petersburg
- Rangers
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93 FULL-TIME: One hurdle too high for Rangers, as Zenit grab two late goals to win the trophy!
93 GOAL! ALL OVER! 2-0! ZENIT WILL WIN THE UEFA CUP! Zurianov prods home from close range after Andrei Arshavin had again played in Tekke, who crosses low to the runner!
92 OVER! FERGUSON'S LONG THROW INTO THE BOX BOUNCES THROUGH TO NOVO...BUT HE PRODS OVER FROM EIGHT YARDS OUT!- 90 CLEARANCE! A long ball into the box almost finds its way through to Darchville, but Ivica Krizanac just gets a toe to it to clear!
- 90 Rangers pump a high ball into the crowded box...now or never...cleared...everyone is back in the Zenit half...
- 88 Aniukov is set free down the right...his low cross-shot is blocked on the edge of the six-yard box...corner...Rangers look really stretched at the back at the moment...
87 Final change for Rangers: goal-scorer Boyd comes on in a final throw of the dice from Walter Smith...- 85 GOOD CHALLENGE! Radek Shirl gets around the back as he chases a ball down the left...great challenge from Broadfoot, winning the ball and the goal-kick...
- 83 The Russian fans are loving this...they are cheering every spell of possession for their side...and Zenit look composed enough not to do anything silly on the ball...
- 82 McCulloch wins a header as a long ball is pumped into the box...Novo just can't twist his body to get his shot on target as he throws himself desperately at the loose ball in the box...
- 80 Zenit are content to knock the ball about at the back for a spell, trying to bring Rangers out...very frustrating time as Rangers chase the ball...
- 79 RANGERS SUB: McCulloch comes on to replace Hemdani; a second change from Smith as Rangers chase the equaliser...
- 78 Of course, the danger for Rangers is that Zenit will be able to pick them off as they chase the game...that's what they did in their 4-0 defeat of Bayern in the semi...
- 76 Smith has made a change, taking off the defender Papac for striker Novo; he has a history of changing games with his late goals - can he find something for Rangers?
- 75 WHAT A CHANCE! A ricochet puts Roman Shirokov in some space on the right side of the Rangers box...he cuts the ball back...but Zurianov somehow manages to screw his shot wide from six yards out at the back post! Massive let off for Rangers
- 73 How will Rangers respond? Surely Smith has to get another striker on? Perhaps McCulloch can come on and swing some crosses into the box?
- 73 Tekke wins a header...Andrei Arshavin gets on the ball, running at the heart of the Rangers defence...he slips a fantastic ball through to the run of Denisov...and he finishes calmly...
- 72 GOAL! RANGERS ARE CUT OPEN! DENISOV SLOTS HOME!
- 71 Andrei Arshavin gets to the by-line and clips over a cross...no-one at the back post...Zenit are having a good spell here, though...
- 70 Radek Shirl's cross is deflected up into the air...but Weir heads clear eight yards out...no Zenit player there to take advantage...the atmosphere is really building now...both fans are urging their side onwards in search of a winner...
69 Aniukov is down injured at the moment after landing awkwardly following an challenge in the air...he gets up, moving a little gingerly...but he seems okay...- 68 No signs of any activity from either bench...neither manager is willing to take a gamble at this point...still twenty minutes, and the possibility of extra-time to come...
- 66 Zenit are using the space left by Rangers' more attacking outlook...the game is definitely opening up...a really dangerous time for both sides at the moment...
- 64 OFF THE LINE! A long punt downfield...Alexander rashly comes out of his box...Andrei Arshavin gets around him...but his chip goalwards is cleared off the line by Papac!
- 63 DEFLECTED! A low cross finds its way all the way over to Whittaker...he cuts inside and drills a low shot from 16 yards out...deflected just a couple of yards wide...
- 62 ...this one Alexander palms clear for a throw on the other side...solid defending from Rangers...
- 61 Andrei Arshavin tries to trick his way past Broadfoot...no doing, although he does win another corner for his side...Cuellar bundles it behind at the near post...another corner...
- 60 This is much better from Rangers...finally they are able to try and thread a few passes along the ground to Darchville, who has excellent movement, if not great pace.
- 59 FINE CHALLENGE! Ivica Krizanac times his tackle superbly on Darchville as the striker spun away from the line and tried to get on Ferguson's through-ball...
- 57 Some signs of belief and confidence from Rangers over the last few minutes...perhaps they are keen to win this in normal time? Seems unlikely...
- 56 David Weir is down, he just needs a bit of treatment after getting a knee in the back from Fatih Tekke...the old man is fine now...
- 55 Rangers were convinced they should have had a penalty there...but replays show it would have been harsh...the defender knew nothing about it as the ball bounced up and stuck him...
- 54 SCRAMBLE! Darchville is played in just inside the box...he spins and hits a first-time shot, well saved...Ferguson dives in on the rebound...saved again...but the ball bounces up and hits a Zenit arm! PENALTY? NO, SAYS THE REF!
- 52 Igor Denisov attacks down the left...he pulls the ball back, but it is eventually cleared on the penalty spot...signs of life from Zenit...
- 51 Pavel Pogrebnyak, the Zenit striker suspended for the match, the leading scorer in this year's competition, is spotted in the crowd, looking rueful...he is the sort of predator that the Russians could do with tonight...
- 50 The message at half time, according to Rangers assistant boss Ally McCoist, was to use the ball better, to keep possession...few signs of it so far...
- 49 Darchville is off the field having his studs replaced...thankfully, a Zenit attack comes to nothing in his absence...the big striker is back now...
- 48 Nice spell on the ball down the left from Zenit, but Rangers have plenty of players back to snuff out the danger...
- 47 Can we see a goal in the early stages of the second half? I can only imagine the sides getting cagier and more defensive as the match goes on...
46 The second half is underway...no changes at the break...- 46 HALF-TIME: Rangers are keeping it very, very tight...Zenit are doing all the pressing, but are finding it hard to break down the wall of blue...
- 45 Better corner from Andrei Arshavin, and Alexander punches clear...the ball is worked out to Arshavin, who claims a penalty when his low cross is blocked by the arm of Broadfoot...no penalty, ball-to-hand says the referee...
- 44 GOOD BLOCK! Shirl gets around the back...Broadfoot shows good pace to get back and block his low cross from the by-line...
- 43 INTO THE WALL! Thomson takes it...straight into the wall...and Zenit clear...wasted chance for Rangers, and they haven't had too many...
- 42 ...plenty of Rangers players over the ball...
- 42 Rangers have a free-kick in a dangerous spot after Darchville is brought down by Denisov when Ferguson had intercepted a ball 35 yards from goal...dangerous spot here...
- 41 Tekke can't get through a sea of legs on the edge of the box after a knock-down had found its way through to him...moment of promise for the Russians, Tekke is unhappy that he didn't manage to get his shot away...
- 39 Fatih Tekke goes to see if he can find some space out on the right...he sends over a cross, headed clear by Weir...bread and butter stuff for the veteran...
- 38 The Rangers defence almost get themselves in a muddle as Andrei Arshavin and Fatih Tekke try to break through the left channel...the ball is eventually cleared...
- 38 WELL OVER! Davis does superbly out on the right to work himself some space...his cross is hanging to the back post...but Whittaker heads over from eight yards...no trouble for the keeper there...
- 36 I've got to say, and I don't want to tempt fate here, but it is difficult to see a goal in this match...Rangers are just so tight, and Zenit just can't find a way through the sea of blue...
- 35 Free-kick to Zenit, on the right corner of the box, when Thomson tugs down Krizanac...the free-kick is clipped to the other side of the box...but Rangers push out quickly and the shooting chance goes...
- 34 Rangers are, predictably, very organised at the back and in midfield...Zenit are having plenty of the ball, but finding it very difficult to break the Scots down, unless they are counter-attacking...
- 33 Shirl combines superbly with Andrei Arshavin down the left...Darcheville tracks back and blocks the attempted cross in the left-back position...fine defensive work from the striker...
- 32 Corner for Zenit, over on the left wing...completely wasted by Andrei Arshavin, who overhits it by some margin...
- 31 Igor Denisov takes a bit of a blow to the head after challenging for a bouncing ball with Cuellar...he's okay, no lasting damage...
- 30 Papac does superbly to get around the back on the left...but his cross is woeful, sliced harmlessly behind for a goal-kick...
- 29 FINE STRIKE! Alexander is forced to palm away Andrei Arshavin's fierce shot from 25 yards...the Rangers keeper looked a bit unsure about that one...
- 28 Roman Shirokov's cross from the right takes a deflection off Sasa Papac...Alexander has to show good hands to claim...
- 27 Incredibly, Rangers have only won two of their last 12 European matches, and yet they still find themselves in the final...they certainly like to keep things tight...
- 26 A few whistles as Zenit knock the ball about...the Russians are certainly showing more cutting edge in possession...however, Shirl's cross is easily claimed by Alexander...
- 24 Thomson is fouled by Aniukov...it was a bit unnecessary...Rangers weren't going anywhere...there's not been too many fouls so far...quite a clean game...
- 23 Finally, Rangers are able to spend a bit of time on the ball, although they're not really going anywhere...Zenit are showing a surprising inclination to chase and put Rangers under pressure...
- 21 Rangers defend the corner well enough, but they just keep giving the ball back to Zenit...there is no real release of pressure...
- 20 Andrei Arshavin teases Broadfoot before whipping in a dangerous cross from the left...cleared for a corner at the near post...
- 19 Most of the game is being played inside the Rangers half, but they have looked fairly composed at the back so far...only one real scare
- 17 BLOCKED! Shirl has a shot blocked on the edge of the box after Tekke had cut inside from the right and laid off a pass...Broadfoot took the full force of that one.
- 16 OVER! Viktor Faitzulin clips in a criss from the left...Fatih Tekke gets up above Davis, but can't keep his header down.
- 15 Viktor Faitzulin gets down the left for the first time, but his attempted cross is blocked by Kirk Broadfoot...
- 14 Zenit look really confident and proficient on the ball...they are knocking it around really crisply...some great chasing from Rangers, but the control is alwas so good....
- 13 Darcheville looks a bit isolated when the ball is pumped long to him...he needs accurate passes into his feet if he is going to be able to bring his team-mates into play...
- 11 WORKED THE KEEPER! Shirl cracks a left-foot shot...it takes a little deflection off Davis in the wall...but Alexander makes a comfortable save on his goal-line...
- 10 Zenit win a free-kick, 40 yards out, when Thomson mis-times his tackle on Roman Shirokov...chance for Zenit to test the keeper...Shirl is lining up a long-distance shot...
- 9 Darcheville might not have a lot of pace, but he is certainly causing the Zenit defence a problem or two with his strength...
- 8 Contrary to all the pre-match hype, it has been a good, open start to the match...both sides have had early chances...
- 7 GOOD TACKLE! Darcheville gets into the box down the left...he opts to pull the ball back across the face rather than shoot...but Shirl makes a goal-saving interception on the edge of his six-yard box!
- 5 Rangers aren't helping themselves with a sloppy start...they are giving the ball away in midfield, and Zenit are pressing forward at pace...
- 4 CLOSE! Tymoschuk releases Andrei Arshavin down the left channel...he breaks into the box...but his shot towards the near post flies a yard or so wide...he should have gone across the keeper there...
- 2 Fatih Tekke is caught offside from a ball tossed forward from the right-back spot...not much in it...bit of a warning for Rangers...
- 1 Really, really good atmosphere...as expected, the Rangers fans are making the most noise...slow start from Zenit, content to knock the ball about at the back...
0 OFF WE GO!- - There is a fantastic atmosphere out there...the players are just waiting in the tunnel...not long now...
- - Zenit are made up of five different nationalities, and have five current members of the Russia squad in their starting line-up...
- - Rangers boss Walter Smith fields the same starting line-up as began the semi-final second leg against Fiorentina, but this time Lee McCulloch and Charles Adam win places on the bench
- - There are more Rangers fans outside than inside the City of Manchester Stadium, watching on three giant screens in the city centre...estimates reckon 100,000 might have made the journey south...
- - Rangers have edged their way to the final, but Zenit have been quite the opposite playing an attacking, offensive game that culminated in that hugely impressive thumping of Bayern Munich...
- - The players have been out going through their warm-ups...there must be a lot of nerves about...not many of these players have played in a club match of this magnitude...
- - The Rangers fans have been having plenty of fun in a rare bout of Manchester sunshine today...lots of beer drunk, vodka for the Russains of course...
- - Hi there; welcome to our coverage of Rangers UEFA Cup final against Zenit St Petersburg of Russia...
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Summary
- 93 GOAL! ALL OVER! 2-0! ZENIT WILL WIN THE UEFA CUP! Zurianov prods home from close range after Andrei Arshavin had again played in Tekke, who crosses low to the runner!
- 92 OVER! FERGUSON'S LONG THROW INTO THE BOX BOUNCES THROUGH TO NOVO...BUT HE PRODS OVER FROM EIGHT YARDS OUT!
- 85 GOOD CHALLENGE! Radek Shirl gets around the back as he chases a ball down the left...great challenge from Broadfoot, winning the ball and the goal-kick...
- 72 GOAL! RANGERS ARE CUT OPEN! DENISOV SLOTS HOME!
- 64 OFF THE LINE! A long punt downfield...Alexander rashly comes out of his box...Andrei Arshavin gets around him...but his chip goalwards is cleared off the line by Papac!
- 63 DEFLECTED! A low cross finds its way all the way over to Whittaker...he cuts inside and drills a low shot from 16 yards out...deflected just a couple of yards wide...
- 59 FINE CHALLENGE! Ivica Krizanac times his tackle superbly on Darchville as the striker spun away from the line and tried to get on Ferguson's through-ball...
- 54 SCRAMBLE! Darchville is played in just inside the box...he spins and hits a first-time shot, well saved...Ferguson dives in on the rebound...saved again...but the ball bounces up and hits a Zenit arm! PENALTY? NO, SAYS THE REF!
- 44 GOOD BLOCK! Shirl gets around the back...Broadfoot shows good pace to get back and block his low cross from the by-line...
- 43 INTO THE WALL! Thomson takes it...straight into the wall...and Zenit clear...wasted chance for Rangers, and they haven't had too many...
- 38 WELL OVER! Davis does superbly out on the right to work himself some space...his cross is hanging to the back post...but Whittaker heads over from eight yards...no trouble for the keeper there...
- 29 FINE STRIKE! Alexander is forced to palm away Andrei Arshavin's fierce shot from 25 yards...the Rangers keeper looked a bit unsure about that one...
- 17 BLOCKED! Shirl has a shot blocked on the edge of the box after Tekke had cut inside from the right and laid off a pass...Broadfoot took the full force of that one.
- 11 WORKED THE KEEPER! Shirl cracks a left-foot shot...it takes a little deflection off Davis in the wall...but Alexander makes a comfortable save on his goal-line...
- 7 GOOD TACKLE! Darcheville gets into the box down the left...he opts to pull the ball back across the face rather than shoot...but Shirl makes a goal-saving interception on the edge of his six-yard box!
- 4 CLOSE! Tymoschuk releases Andrei Arshavin down the left channel...he breaks into the box...but his shot towards the near post flies a yard or so wide...he should have gone across the keeper there...
Live Team Line-Up
- Referee: Peter Fröjdfeldt
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Zenit St PetersburgManager: Dick Advocaat
Captain: Andrei Arshavin
On the Field
- Malafeev
- Anyukov
- Shirokov
- Krizanac
- Sirl
- Timoschuk
- Denisov
- Zyrianov
- Arshavin
- Fayzulin
- Tekke
Subs
- Radimov
- Dominguez
- Gorshkov
- Contofalski
- Kim Don Chzin
90′ - Riksen
- Ionov
Injured
None
Suspended
- Pogrebniak
- Malafeev
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RangersManager: Walter Smith
Captain: Barry Ferguson
On the Field
- Alexander
- Broadfoot
- Cuéllar
- Weir
- Papac
- Davis
- Thomson
- Hemdani
- Whittaker
- Ferguson
- Darcheville
Subs
- Faye
- Dailly
- Novo 77′
- McCulloch
- Boyd 86′
- Adam
- Graeme
Injured
- McGregor
Suspended
- Cousin
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