Rangers coach Dick Advocaat was happy to take his players back to Bergen from the small town of Voss last night without having any of his squad injured.
The tough-tackling Norwegians had given Advocaat cause for concern with some of their challenges - especially several made on new signing Michael Mols.
Later Advocaat admitted: ''This was not a friendly game. We had to go 100%, because the Norwegians were very strong in their challenges. Some of them were really on the edge.
''However, no-one was injured, which is fortunate and I think it was better to have this kind of game rather than the match we had last year here when we
won 9-0.''
Mols, Rangers' major signing for the new season, failed to score once more. His only goal so far for the club has come in a closed-doors game against
Stirling Albion, but in 235
minutes of public play he has been unable to break his duck.
However, Advocaat insisted: ''I have no worries about that. The main thing is that he was in there tonight with chances to score.
''He found the space and he was unlucky. The goals will come.''
Mols' striking partner, Rod Wallace, who scored Rangers' first goal, supported that belief and claimed: ''Michael is going to get goals - and he'll get them soon. It is only a matter of time.
''There were a lot of heavy challenges, but I suppose it's
better to get used to them early. I thought the performance was
better and I am just happy to
have scored. Everyone is fighting for their place.''
The two goals that settled the match came in a three-minute burst just before half-time. The first was in 38 minutes when Dariusz Adamczuk crossed from the right and Wallace moved in to score with a shot from close range.
Three minutes later, Giovanni van Bronckhorst snapped in a low drive from 30 yards, which the goalkeeper misjudged and the ball swept past him and into the
corner of the net.
There were other chances, but they were missed in the bizarre surroundings of the tiny stadium with hills rising above it still capped by snow in the middle of summer. Only 560 fans were scattered around the touchlines for a match that Rangers had earmarked for the beginning of their three-match tour, which will climax next week with a match against those perpetual European Champions' League shock troops, Rosenborg Trondheim.
The opposition last night was not up to that standard, with a mixture of the two local teams, both of whom play in the first division.They sent on a stream of substitutes, but none of them could help alter the fact that the
Scottish champions were always a class above them.
Certainly, Rangers should have scored more goals once they began to settle. In 28 minutes, for example, Claudio Reyna sent Mols through on the keeper, the Dutchman struck the ball against Skjeldestad as he came off his line, the ball came back to him, but he struck it poorly and a defender was able to clear.
However, within two minutes Mols lobbed a ball over his
marker's head, bore down on goal, and this time watched as
his shot drifted wide of the post with the goalkeeper beaten.
In 33 minutes, when the striker was fouled - just one of many wild tackles he had to take - Jorg Albertz stepped up and struck a 30-yard shot that hit the bottom of the post and whipped wide.
By this time, Tony Vidmar had replaced Craig Moore, but Advocaat, unlike his Norwegian opposite number, was not in the mood to make too many substitutions. As new player followed new player for the home select, Rangers' Dutch coach simply kept his powder dry as his team continued to control the game.
Six minutes after half time, a cross from Arthur Numan found Mols, whose header hit the
keeper and shortly afterwards the keeper saved at the new striker's feet when he attempted to walk the ball into the net. At this stage the Rangers players seemed simply to be setting up chance after chance - but not taking them.
Rod Wallace pulled a shot wide of the post and then Advocaat decided to make changes, with Numan and Wallace going off to be replaced by Ian
Ferguson and Gabriel Amato in 65 minutes. Within a few minutes of taking the field, Amato had a header stopped by the keeper who then foiled Albertz towards the end, but for most of that
second half goalkeeper Stefan Klos was a spectator.
Advocaat will now take his players back to the training
pitch today for a double session, morning and afternoon. There is little let-up as he prepares his squad for the new season.
Yesterday morning the players had trained before making the one and a half hour bus journey to Voss. There is no let-up for them with their opening European match, likely to be against Finnish side Haka, who drew 1-1 away to Torshavn in the Faores last night, already looming.
The substitution of Craig Moore in the first half was explained later as being simply precautionary, the players having all been told to take no risks with their fitness during these matches. If they feel the slightest discomfort they are told to come off - just another example of Advocaat's thoroughness.
SOGNBAL/VOSS SELECT - Skjelde-stad, A Hillestad, Herfindal, Sorum, E Hillestad, Stadheim, Hansen, Rivedal, Olsen, Fredriksen, Oren.
RANGERS - Klos, Adamczuk, Moore, Porrini, Numan; Nicholson, Reyna, Van
Bronckhorst, Albertz; Wallace, Mols.
Referee - Terje Hauge (Lyngbo).
qPORTUGUESE striker Jocquim Ferraz marked his debut by scoring one and making one as Dundee United defeated Longford Town 3-0 in Ireland last night.
He set up Craig Easton for the opener after nine minutes then poached the second before teenager Stephen McCulloch marked his own debut by heading the third, all the goals coming in the first half of the friendly.
qBayern Munich beat Borussia Dortmund 1-0 last night and will face Werder Bremen, who beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 on Tuesday, in Saturday's final of the German League Cup.
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