Rangers are taught a blunt lesson

Uefa Champions League: Barcelona 2, Rangers 0For Rangers the task remains the same. Victory over Lyon in their final group game on December 12th will ensure Walter Smith's team progress to the last 16 of the Champions League, as was the situation before kick-off last night, but the distinctly simplistic nature of their defeat by Barcelona will not be lost on the Rangers manager.

Barca, who are now virtually assured of qualification to the knock-out phase, toyed with their Scottish opponents for long spells. There was to be no happy return for Rangers to the venue of their 1972 Cup Winners' Cup triumph, rather a demonstration from Frank Rijkaard's team that they can turn even high-profile encounters into a virtual training session.

This was, in short, a blunt lesson in the harsh realities of football at the very top level for what is, in fairness, a hastily-assembled Rangers side.

Barca had the match won by half-time, an apparent unwillingness to rub salt into open wounds the only thing which prevented Rijkaard's men from inflicting an embarrassing defeat on their visitors.

If this game technically mattered little to Rangers in a strictly football sense, given the comfort zone created from an impressive opening to Group E, the opportunity to enjoy a gala occasion was not lost on their followers. Around 5,000 had official tickets for Camp Nou, but up to four times that number opted to travel to Catalonia.

It quickly became apparent that not all had gained access to the ground but, importantly for Rangers after previous conflicts with Uefa, those who took in this spectacle first-hand behaved admirably.

Smith's team had defended with aplomb at Ibrox a fortnight ago in holding Barca to a scoreless draw, but a visit to one of the most intimidating venues always promised to be an entirely different prospect.

Lionel Messi had branded Rangers an "anti-football" team in Glasgow; what a twist of irony, then, that the Barca striker was afforded time and space by a fatally static visiting defence after just six minutes here. Messi's header, from Ronaldinho's searching cross, was duly helped into the net by the prowling Thierry Henry.

Smith's gameplan, aimed at smothering the Catalan giants, was in pieces before the uppermost supporters had clambered to their seats in this towering arena.

DaMarcus Beasley headed over as Rangers mounted a brief response to Barca's early dominance, but Andres Iniesta and Ronaldinho came close enough with long-range efforts to suggest that the hosts still harboured frustrations over their inability to score the last time these teams met.

Messi's sentiments were also apparently shared by the home supporters in the near-capacity crowd whose shrill whistling echoed around the stadium every time Rangers even dared to pass the ball in defence.

Yet the Scottish side had appeared to be coming to grips with the magnitude of their task by the time Messi effectively killed the contest, two minutes before the interval. The striker combined with Ronaldinho for an exquisite one-two on the edge of the penalty area, Allan McGregor parried the Brazilian's shot straight to the feet of Messi who despatched the ball with typical ruthlessness. In one brisk move, Barca had reminded Rangers and Scottish football in general just how far they still lag behind the world's footballing superpowers.

Smith, for whom European success has been a source of deep personal pride in recent months, cut a motionless figure in the dugout, perhaps resigned to the fact that his charges lacked the ability to prize open a defence who had effectively played as extra midfielders for the entire match.

Carles Puyol, for example, spent considerably more time in the final 30 yards of Rangers' half than he did his own.

BARCELONA:Valdes, Puyol (Oleguer 85), Thuram, Milito, Abidal, Xavi, Toure Yaya, Iniesta (Gudjohnsen 70), Messi, Henry, Ronaldinho (Bojan 77). Subs not used: Jorquera, Sylvinho, Giovanni, Marquez.

RANGERS:McGregor, Hutton, Cuellar, Weir, Papac, Hemdani, Beasley (Novo 69), Ferguson, Adam (Darcheville 62), McCulloch, Cousin (Naismith 78). Subs not used: Carroll, Boyd, Whittaker, Faye.

Referee:Eric Braamhaar (Netherlands).