Scorers: Denisov (72), Zyrianov (90+3) Rangers were finally vanquished in a cracking climax to their valiant UEFA Cup adventure. Yet, Walter Smith's side lost without shame to a velvety Zenit St Petersburg in the City of Manchester Stadium.

For once in a compelling crusade across the continent, the gallantry and gallusness of Walter Smith's side was unravelled by precision and panache. The names of Igor Denisov and Konstantin Zyrianov, the Zenit goalscorers, will become part of Russian folklore but an even wider appreciation is sure to befall the real architect of Rangers' downfall.

Andrei Arshavin bored through Rangers' renowned iron-curtain defence in an awesome one-man engineering operation.

It ended a remarkable and rousing journey for Rangers that began in Montenegro back in July and ended with 100,000 supporters willing them on to greatness in Manchester.

The entertainment may have been tedious to the UEFA Family' but for the rest, it oozed tension and dripped intrigue. One glitch in a well-oiled defensive machine was enough for Dick Advocaat to defy the club with whom he could not manage such a feat.

As the Russian supporters spilled on to the field, Rangers' downbeat players were consoled by the creditable challenge they provided. Barry Ferguson squared up to Anatoliy Tymoschuk and succeeded in neutralising the Zenit captain. It was no mean feat. Steven Davis and Kevin Thomson ran to the point of exhaustion but not even the introduction of Nacho Novo could provide the inspiration.

Piccadilly Gardens, the sprawling epicentre of Rangers' official UEFA Fanzone, had been transformed into Paisley Road West on matchday by the early hours of yesterday morning.

It was an anthropological study that LS Lowry, the famous Lancastrian whose canvases are housed in nearby Salford, would have relished.

Lowry once declared: "I am not an artist, I am simply a painter." The Rangers manager has offered variations of such modesty throughout this epic European journey.

The broad strokes applied to this particular canvas may not be to the discerning palate but, to Rangers' expectant flock, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

An abstract European adventure culminated in a crackling night inside the scrumptious Eastlands bowl.

Smith resisted the temptation to restore the brawny Lee McCulloch. Instead, he kept faith with the line-up that prevailed in such sweaty circumstances in Florence.

It was a clear statement of intent: Zenit would have to pummel Rangers into submission before carting the silverware, all 15kg of it, back to St Petersburg. More established European teams have been blunted by incessant bombardment.

Steven Whittaker was, once again, the aerial out-ball for Neil Alexander. Jean-Claude Darcheville did more shuttle runs than the Manchester tram service and completed his first 90 minutes. Brahim Hemandi endured a hesitant, harassed night.

The Algerian - the only UEFA Cup finalists in Rangers' ranks - was an unlikely candidate for stage fright. He stumbled over the simplest of tasks but gradually regained a semblance of dependability.

His remit as holding midfielder was complicated by the sheer elusiveness of Arshavin and Viktor Fayzulin. Both combined to earn Hemdani his first rebuke by his team-mates.

Fayzulin stole possession and presented the impish Arshavin with his first shot on goal. The quest for composure was not helped by the bedlam from the bleachers. Outnumbered and drowned out by their rivals, Zenit's corner decided if they couldn't beat them they would join them. Cue the inception of the Bouncski.

Zenit persisted in blowing a stiff wind against Rangers' caution. Tekke, a typically expressive Turk, was squeezed and shunted by Carlos Cuellar. It left the striker's able accomplices with imagination galore but no focus for their inspirational spurts.

Vyacheslav Malafeev, the Zenit goalkeeper, could conceivably have thumbed through the works of Tolstoy during a not unexpectedly redundant first half. Ferguson came within a toe-poke of an early steal but the Zenit defence were alert to a swift exchange between Thomson and Darcheville.

Encouragingly, for the bulk of supporters inside the stadium, the enduring ebb and occasional flow elapsed without consequence. Tekke simpered at his suffocation and Tymoschuk became bogged down in the traffic.

Thomson, by comparison, hared around the field. His first tackle invited a booking but the Swedish referee, Peter Frojdfeldt, turned it away at the door. Kirk Broadfoot was grateful for the Scandinavian's leniency in time added-on.

In attempting to block Arshavin's cross, he thrust out an arm and visibly stiffened before Frojdfeldt awarded a corner kick. The referee would be similarly ambivalent to a vociferous Ferguson claim.

Rangers' attacking outlets were limited enough without Darcheville's prolonged spell on the sidelines awaiting a fresh pair of old-school adidas. Presumably he had worn down the studs of the originals.

The Frenchman carved out the opening chance of a tense second half. Broadfoot's backheel started a weaving move that ended with Darcheville's drive bouncing off Malafeev's body and falling to Ferguson for his forlorn penalty appeal.

A whizzing counter-attack from a Rangers corner stripped the air of assurance around Alexander. He mistimed a sweeping-up operation from a long clearance and watched with relief as Arshavin's lob was headed off the line by the increasingly sturdy presence of Sasa Papac.

It was an ominous portent. Zenit's rediscovered zest was soon rewarded. Denisov, a dormant threat, burst through the bustle and was delightfully and devastatingly presented with glory by Arshavin.

After Konstantin Zyrianov smacked a post, Smith called for the cavalry - in the form of Nacho Novo, Lee McCulloch and Kris Boyd - but it was the Russian midfielder who would have the final say. For Rangers there was no trophy, but a vault of magical memories. Click here to see our action shots from the UEFA Cup final.