Rangers battle for draw at Ibrox

Rangers 0-0 Fiorentina:  Rangers fought for a 0-0 draw with Fiorentina in a tense Uefa Cup semi-final first leg at Ibrox tonight.

The first half was a frustrating affair for the home side and the home fans only rallied when Jean-Claude Darcheville burst from the halfway line on 17 minutes.
   
But the move fizzled out when the French striker's cross was blocked and ran to keeper Sebastien Frey.
   
The Italian side came close with Argentine Mario Alberto Santana only denied five minutes from the interval by a fine tackle from Rangers defender Carlos Cuellar near the penalty spot.
   
Santana crashed in a fierce 30-metre shot on 75 minutes to force a fine save from Neil Alexander, but the tie finished goalless and they meet again in the second leg in Florence next Thursday.

Bayern Munich were held to a 1-1 draw by Russian champions Zenit St Petersburg in the first leg of their semi-final.
   
The Bundesliga leaders led through Franck Ribery's 18th-minute goal but, sorely missing suspended striker Luca Toni, they wasted chances galore.
   
Brazil defender Lucio deflected a cross from Viktor Fayzulin past Bayern goalkeeper Oliver Kahn for the shock equaliser on the hour that silenced the sell-out crowd of 66,000 on a chilly evening in Munich.
   
Ribery had first fluffed a penalty when his weak shot was blocked by Zenit goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev but the France playmaker made amends by firing the rebound into the left corner.
   
The return leg will be played in St Petersburg next Thursday. The final will take place in Manchester Wednesday, May 14th.