Rangers 1
Hearts 0
THEY did enough, just enough, to claim victory against Hearts
yesterday, with Ronald de Boer on hand to provide the vital strike at Ibrox, but Rangers will have to improve considerably if they are to overcome Monaco in two days' time.
Dick Advocaat's men are now three points behind leaders
Hibernian and two behind second- placed Celtic, who take on
Dunfermline at East End Park tonight, but they struggled to repeat the performance of last midweek that helped get their Champions League campaign off to a flying start, against Sturm Graz.
Hearts, who had attempted to have this match postponed to recover from their UEFA Cup-tie away to VFB Stuttgart, showed no sign of fatigue until the latter stages of the match, by which time Rangers had moved ahead with de Boer's tap-in after 58 minutes.
With Wednesday's match against Monaco in uppermost in their minds, Rangers never looked like hitting top gear and had Hearts shown a greater appetite for attacking, they might have earned something for their efforts.
Michael Mols, as expected, was excused from Sabbath service after his European exertions left him leg-weary, and Advocaat saw no need to risk the recently returned Dutch striker with their second Group D match looming, especially with Billy Dodds demonstrating his goalscoring prowess with a fitting fifth goal in the demolition of the Austrians.
The Scotland internationalist partnered de Boer in attack while Tugay was reinstated by the
manager in place of Barry
Ferguson, who completed the two-match domestic ban imposed after his double sending-off in the Old Firm derby.
The third and final change to the side chosen for the challenge of the Austrians was in the
problematic right-back area.
Claudio Reyna, who performed assuredly on Tuesday, was unable to shake off a cold and his place was taken by Fernando Ricksen, who has yet to come to terms with his #4m switch from the backwater of Alkmaar to the big time.
Hearts' brave Bavarian battle was not without its casualties, either. Darren Jackson, now firmly in the veteran category, was demoted to the substitutes' bench, while injury ruled out Scott Severin.
However, reputable reinforcements were on hand in Gary McSwegan and Steve Fulton.
A minute's silence was observed before kick-off in memory of Ibrox great Bob McPhail, who scored 261 goals during a decade at the club, and when the action got under way, it was the home side who forged the opening chance after four minutes.
Allan Johnston, roundly booed by the away fans for leaving Tynecastle, robbed Gary Naysmith on the right and de Boer collected the ball. A shuffle of the feet created space in the box, but his driven cross cannoned off Dodds and bounced wide of Antti Niemi's net.
Hearts were not content to sit back and be dictated to and in the twelfth minute forced Stefan Klos into action. Tugay was too casual in his acceptance of a Ricksen throw in, allowing Fulton to supply Naysmith down the left. The full back provided a typically accurate delivery into the penalty box, but McSwegan's header did not prove too troublesome for the German.
His intervention at the other end moments later prevented a certain opener for his former club.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst's arcing corner was nodded down by Dodds, but McSwegan, tending Niemi's far post, was alert and cleared the ball off the line.
Dodds was again involved
during Rangers' next unfruitful foray, heading wide this time after a fine cross from Ricksen, who has adopted a back-to-basics
policy in a bid to restore the
confidence that has been shattered by a difficult start to his Rangers career.
Steven Pressley, though, had no such inhibitions and the central defender initiated the most fluid move of the match. He strode
forward purposefully and passed precisely to Thomas Flogel, who in turn fed Juanjo on the right flank with Rangers ragged. The Spaniard skipped past two challenges and nutmegged Lorenzo Amoruso on his way to the six- yard box, but his finish did not match the build-up, virtually passing the ball to Klos, albeit from a difficult angle.
Dodds thought his persistence had paid off in 33 minutes but his joy was short-lived as Hugh
Dallas blew for offside after he bundled the ball home at the
second attempt.
Arthur Numan received the first caution of the match for a foul on Juanjo and the full back was almost sent down the tunnel for being overzealous in his protestations to the referee. His countryman, Bert Konterman, almost made the breakthrough just before the interval but his powerful header was saved superbly by Niemi.
Although the home side created more chances than Hearts, they did not show the same level of urgency and desire that helped them make the perfect start to their Champions League campaign.
In fact, Hearts might have had more luck if they had committed more players forward more often. Juanjo and Colin Cameron clearly had the measure of a lethargic Rangers midfield, but a lack of adventure ensured the half ended goalless.
Albertz, a frustrated figure
during the first period, did not reappear after the break and his place was taken by Neil McCann. The winger has made a habit of turning matches after coming off the bench and so it proved in the fifty-eighth minute when Rangers finally capitalised on their
territorial advantage.
McCann picked out the ever-willing Dodds inside the box and his shot spun off the body of a fully extended Niemi, allowing de Boer to stab the ball into an empty net.
Jefferies immediately brought on young striker Kris O'Neil in place of the ineffectual
McSwegan, while his counterpart ended Dodds' misery, replacing him with Tony Vidmar, a tactical switch that allowed his two full backs to become additional midfield players.
The alterations made little difference in a turgid match between two teams visibly jaded after their European exploits and the removal of two of the game's most inventive players, Juanjo and de Boer, in place of Jackson and Kenny Miller, only succeeded in making the last five minutes seem like an eternity.
In the end, Rangers were deserving of all three points but it could have been a different story had their guests not been so
mannerly.
Next league matches - Rangers - Motherwell (a); Hearts - St
Mirren (h).
Talking Point
Ronald de Boer has already made a telling contribution since his arrival from Barcelona, but his importance to Rangers will become immeasurable as the Champions League wears on. He is a genuine world-class player and made all the difference yesterday.
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