Zenit St Petersburg won the Uefa Cup in
Manchester with a 2-0 victory over Rangers.
The Gers battled bravely but were unable to find
an answer to second-half strikes from Igor Denisov and Konstantin
Zurianov, and their 36-year wait for European glory goes
on.
A tight first-half saw few clear-cut opportunities, with Zenit
dominating possession without managing to break down a resolute
Gers defence.
Andrei Arshavin provided the cutting edge for the Russians and
looked dangerous in sporadic breaks forward, while Rangers were
content to try and hit their opponents on the counter on the rare
occasions they ventured into the final third.
Walter Smith's side were able to establish more
of a foothold on proceedings after the break and almost took the
lead when Barry Ferguson saw a stabbed effort cleared off the line
by a desperate Zenit defence.
However, on 73 minutes a slick move involving
Denisov and Arshavin resulted in the former slotting a low effort
into the bottom corner past a helpless Neil Alexander.
Rangers did all they could to muster an equaliser, throwing on
three attacking substitutes in a desperate bid to find a
breakthrough.
The best of their opportunities fell to Nacho Novo, but the
striker could only fire high into the stands when presented with a
late chance 10-yards out.
Deep into injury-time Zenit then added a second when Fatih Tekke
beat the Gers' offside trap to square for Zurianov to tap into an
unguarded net.
The masses of Rangers supporters who had descended on Manchester
were ultimately left despondent but can be proud of their side
after a remarkable European adventure.
