Rangers ........ 1

Valencia ....... 2

Rangers slumped to defeat at Ibrox last night after a first-half display which never came close to matching the level of performance which had been demanded by the coach, Dick Advocaat, before this return game against Valencia.

The Spanish side, who seem to have the Indian sign over the men from Ibrox, controlled the opening 45 minutes when Lorenzo Amoruso once more gave one of those performances when his concentration seems to lapse and the entire team suffers.

That meant that the Scottish champions were two goals behind at half-time after strikes from the Valencia captain and midfielder Mendieta and their Argentinian striker Claudio Lopez pierced their nervous defence in the thirty-fourth minute and then, once more, lethally, as the game went into injury time at the close of that disastrous opening half.

That had not been the way that the Ibrox support had seen the game going ,and their boos hung over Ibrox like a shroud at half-time as the two teams left the field, with Rangers looking understandably dejected by the double which had knocked their European campaign careering off course.

Beforehand, a win had been seen as a real possibiloity and with these three points went the top-of-the-group spot and the passport into the next set of section matches. By half-time that was a fading memory, and while Bayern Munich toiled against PSV Eindhoven, that meant little to the Ibrox support who had come looking for revenge and for victory.

Before the end, they would have settled for a draw - and, indeed, they might have gained that with a second-half performance which raised the hopes of their supporters in the 50,063 crowd and which also raised their stock in Europe, as they fought their way back into a game they had tossed away in the first half.

It was then that the fatal errors were made, and when Rangers fans had to accept that their heroes are not as infallible as they sometimes think. The side that Advocaat is bulding at Ibrox is almost always sound, is almost always tactically aware, but there are occasions when lapses of concentration must worry the Dutchman. He can preach as often as he likes, he will read the riot act as fiercely as he can - but there are times when his players just ignore the basics he has attempted to drill into them.

Before half-time last night, this was one of these games, just as it had been in Valencia five weeks ago, when Rangers plunged to defeat there. And, while the team must have been boosted by the results at home - and even away - in Eindhoven since then, there was no indication of that when what was a group decider got under way.

Amoruso looked nervous and unsure and that was passed onto his fellow defenders - there were early signs that Rangers were not going to reach the heights that they had done against Parma, Bayern, and PSV in their earlier games this season. It was no surprise when Valencia scored ten minutes before half-time and even less of a shock when they were able to add to that.

The first goal arrived after a mix-up in defence which saw a cross from Amedeo Carboni come across the face of the penalty box, where it was missed by Tony Vidmar. That allowed Mendieta the opening which saw him strike the ball beyond Stefan Klos.

The second goal saw Lopez race clear of Amoruso and then beat Klos again.

After half-time, there were signs of a revival, and Craig Moore did score in the fifty ninth minute after two successive corners from Giovanni van Bronckhorst had troubled the Spanish defence. From the second, the ball dropped to the Australian, who struck the ball into goal to hand Rangers a lifeline, but it was one they were unable to take.

Jorg Albertz appeared - joining Andrei Kancjhelskis, who had replaced Derek McInnes following the first Valencia goal - and the powerful German made hisnporesence felt after taking over from Tony Vidmar in the sixtieth minute. After Rod Wallce headed a try wide of goal, Albertz struck a 30-yard free kick which Palop struggled to push clear. Then the keeper saved one-handed after Kanchelskis provided an opening. And, at the death, it was Albertz again who was desperately close with a close-range try from a Neil McCann cross which swept across the face of goal and beyond the far post.

There were two bookings in this match, both for the Valencia side. Goalkeeper Palop had his name taken for time-wasting, joining second-half substitute Soria in the book.

That was almost the goal that Rangers needed, but it would only have provided a cosmetic for them, as far as the group was concerned. They needed victory and, even with Bayern losing, the Ibrox team still require to go to Bavaria and take a point if they are to proceed.

With the erratic form of the Germans - they have won just a single game in the Group and were fortunate to gain a draw at Ibrox - that is not beyond them. But before last night, it was not part of the script for the Ibrox faithful.

This was a lost opportunity. Advocaat and his players must know that themselves. The disconsolate support certainly know it. Their dreams of further European glory still live on, but only in a flickering sense after Rangers were cruelly brought back to earth by the Spaniards, who had claimed so crazily beforehand that plots were being made to keep them out of the last sixteen. That was shown to be so much nonsense last night.

Valencia are through, they are there in the second phase, and Rangers face a Gunfight at the OK Corral in the Olympic Stadium next weekl if they are to join them there and live up to the aspirations of their supportt and the ambitions of their chairman, David Murray.

A place in the UEFA Cup is a consolation prize, but it is not one they will happily accept.

Rangers - Klos, Porrini, Moore, Amoruso, Vidmar, McInnes, Ferguson, van Bronckhorst, McCann, Wallace, Mols. Substitutes - Charbonnier, Numan, Kanchelskis, Albertz, Amato, Adamczuk, Johansson.

Valencia - Palop, Angulo, Pellegrino, Djukic, Carboni, Meindieta, Albelda, Gerard, Kily Gonzalez, Ilie, Lopez. Substitutes - Bartual, Farinos, Oscar, Soria, Sanchez, Milla, Fagiani.

Referee - G Benko (Austria).