UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE:Rangers 1 Sevilla 4
THE LAST time Ibrox housed a Champions League match before last night, Lyon sauntered to a 3-0 win over Rangers.
This was an equally brutal night for the Glasgow side, if one tinged with a fair degree of controversy.
Rangers were denied a clear first-half penalty as Abdoulay Konko felled Steven Naismith. The Sevilla defender rubbed salt into an open wound five minutes into the second period by heading home the game’s opening goal.
From then on, it was rapidly downhill for Rangers, even if their focus when looking back on proceedings will probably not wander too much from the interventions of the Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson.
Sevilla, cantering by full-time, hardly needed the assistance of officialdom in displaying their attacking brilliance. Nacho Novo’s 25-yard goal two minutes from time was a meek consolation for Walter Smith’s men.
Rangers’ draw in Stuttgart a fortnight ago has proved the highlight of a stuttering opening to their season. They have gone three Scottish Premier League matches in succession without summoning so much as a goal, hardly inspiring stuff before the visit of a Sevilla team who dismissed Athletic Bilbao 4-0 last weekend.
The men from Andalucia have apparently genuine aspirations of challenging La Liga’s big two in the coming season.
The first test comes on Saturday when they face Real Madrid; more immediately, Sevilla were the team tipped by the Rangers manager to be the winners of Group G. The visitors’ opening emphasised Smith’s confidence, albeit an ominous sign. Allan McGregor pulling off a fine point-blank save to deny Fredi Kanoute within 15 minutes.
Rangers can only dream of Sevilla’s strength. The debt-ridden club has effectively been on the market without sufficient interest from potential suitors for five years. Occasions such as this provide a rare opportunity to demonstrate what glimmers of hope exist within Ibrox.
Rangers should have ended the first half with a one-goal lead. The home support were rightly irate as Eriksson failed to award their team a 36th-minute penalty. Konko hauled down Naismith inside the area after Rangers’ lone striker had capitalised on his opponent’s blunder.
Konko rose unchallenged before planting a header beyond McGregor, just five minutes into the second period. What had opened as a tale of what-if had now become one of woe.
Sevilla then effectively killed the contest. Luis Fabiano was afforded time and space on the left flank before supplying a pinpoint cut-back which Adriano cleanly dispatched for a second goal.
Kanoute was proving very dangerous, his cross from deep allowing Fabiano to head Sevilla’s third. The favour was instantly returned as Kanoute slotted past McGregor at Rangers’ back post.
RANGERS:McGregor, Whittaker, Bougherra, Weir, Papac, Davis, McCulloch (Boyd 72), Mendes, Rothen (Novo 72), Thomson, Naismith. Subs not used: Alexander, Smith, Miller, Fleck, Little. Booked: Naismith.
SEVILLA:Palop, Squillaci, Fernando Navarro, Escude, Lolo, Adriano Correia (Diego Capel 65), Jesus Navas, Zokora, Konko, Luis Fabiano (Romaric 79), Kanoute (Negredo 74). Subs not used: Javi Varas, Dragutinovic, Sergio Sanchez, Renato. Booked: Diego Capel, Fernando Navarro.
Referee: J Eriksson (Sweden).
Group G
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Seville 2200616
VfB Stuttgart 2020222
Unirea Urziceni 2011131
Rangers 2011251
Last Night’s Other Group Game
Unirea Urziceni(0) 1VfB Stuttgart(1) 1
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