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Rangers win thrilling shoot-out to reach Uefa Cup final

01/05/2008

Rangers have won a nail-biting penalty shoot-out against Fiorentina this evening to reach the Uefa Cup final.

The Scottish giants came back from seeing captain Barry Ferguson miss the first spot-kick, to win the shoot-out 4-2. Spanish striker Nacho Novo hammered in the penalty which took Rangers through.

Fiorentina dominated a surprisingly open game, but a combination of some great Rangers defending and poor Fiorentina finishing somehow saw the game end goalless.

Sasa Papac cleared a Mario Alberto Santana back-heel off the line while Christian Vieri and Adrian Mutu also wasted great chances for Fiorentina. Vieri in particular should have scored, but he scuffed his shot from only three yards out.

Rangers had to defend for much of the game, but Novo had a golden chance to win the game with only three minutes left of extra-time. Fiorentina keeper Sebastian Frey fumbled a corner and the ball landed to Novo inside the penalty area, but the striker lacked composure and fired his shot over the bar.

Fiorentina broke immediately and had another brilliant chance to score. This time a last ditched Steven Whittaker tackle led to Mutu steering his shot wide when he was only a couple of yards from goal.

As the referee blew the whistle for penalties, the Fiorentina fans suddenly found their voices and a chorus of boos greeted Ferguson when he stepped up to take the first penalty. The Rangers skipper subsequently saw his kick brilliantly saved by Frey.

Zdravko Kuzmanovic and Ricardo Montolivo scored for Fiorentina, but Whittaker and Papac also scored to keep Rangers in the hunt.

Neil Alexander then made the crucial save as he palmed away Fabio Liverani's penalty. Brahim Hemdani then scuffed his effort, but luckily for him Frey went the wrong way and the ball rolled in.

Experienced Italian forward Vieri stepped up next and blazed his penalty over the bar. Novo then came forward for the decisive kick, and despite a lengthy run-up, he drilled the ball home and sent the Rangers players, coaching staff, and fans into frenzy.

Rangers will face Russian side Zenit St Petersburg in the Uefa Cup final at the City of Manchester Stadium on May 14th. Petersburg thrashed Bayern Munich 4-0 at home to secure a 5-1 aggregate win.