UEFA Cup Final - Zenit - Rangers

Denisov 1-0

Zyrianov 2-0

Zenit's Celebrations & Ceremony for UEFA CUP of the year 2007 - 2008



Superb Zenit Burst Rangers Bubble

Zenit playmaker Andrei Arshavin, the best player on the pitch, masterminded the downfall of Rangers in a tightly contested Uefa Cup final. The Glasgow side defended reolutely until the 73rd minute when Arshavin set up Denisov for the superb opener, and with the last kick of the game, Zyrianov wrapped it all up.

Rangers' 19th European tie of the season proved a bridge too far as Zenit underlined the burgeoning health of Russian club football.

An estimated 100,000 Rangers fans had invaded Manchester ahead of their team's first European final since 1972, though fewer than 14,000 of them were actually able to watch the game live in the City of Manchester Stadium. Many of the rest were outside the stadium or watching on huge screens around the city, or in bars, while another 25,000 followed the game at Ibrox via a beam-back.

The team news revealed that Kevin Thomson had been passed fit to start after recovering from a foot injury. Thomson and Brahim Hemdani were given defensive midfield roles, with Steven Davis, Steven Whittaker and captain Barry Ferguson tucked in behind Rangers' lone striker, Jean-Claude Darcheville.

There was no place in the starting eleven for fit-again midfielder Lee McCulloch, or striker Nacho Novo, on target with two goals in Saturday's controversial SPL win over Dundee United.

Zenit coach, the former Rangers boss Dick Advocaat, had to do the leading scorer in this eason's Uefa Cup, striker Pavel Pogrebnyak, who was suspended. But he does had much-coveted Andrei Arshavin back after serving a ban of his own.

Advocaat made two other changes, Fatih Tekke and Radek Sirl starting, with ex-Rangers defender Fernando Ricksen named among the substitutes.

The pre-match debates revolved around whether Tymoschuk would be pulling the strings to good effect for the Russians in midfield, or whether Jean-Claude Darcheville - who had not completed 90 minutes for Rangers - would get any joy against the Zenit defence.

The fans and the teams were reminded what it was all about when Scottish legend and former Manchester City hero Denis Law (he also played for United!)1held the trophy aloft in the centre of the pitch at Eastlands before kick-off.


First Half

Once the game got underway in an electric atmosphere, Zenit were quick to dominate the early possession. But Rangers, more than seven hours without conceding a goal in the competition, were confident in their ability to withstand the pressure.

After five minutes, Arshavin drove in a shot from just inside the Rangers area that flew narrowly wide of Neil Alexander's right-hand post. Then Zyrianov's attempt at a through-ball to Tekke was cut-out by David Weir on the edge of the area. Tymoschuk tried a shot from 18 yards that Alexander saved comfortably, with the Russians looking full of pace and Rangers looking nervy and struggling to get out of their own half.

But they did break forward, and Darcheville's teasing ball into Zenit's six-yard box had to be intercepted by Sirl with Barry Ferguson set to punish Zenit. Rangers were starting to see a bit more of the ball but Zenit wrested the initiative away from them again with another sustained spell of possession as they dictated the tempo of the game.

Rangers have made a virtue of defending with great discipline and earming goalless draws this season. It can be a risky game-plan, but they looked comfortable with the strategy as Arshavin's cross from the left wing was headed well over the bar by Fayzulin.

Sirl let fly with a powerful effort from 25 yards that cannoned off Kirk Broadfoot and away to safety, but Zenit continued to create shooting opportunities as Rangers invited them to attack. Zyrianov's effort from the edge of the area was blocked by Carlos Cuellar, who then headed another Zyrianov cross from the right.

With Rangers happy to concede possession in midfield and resist the Russian attacks, Zenit were dominating territorially but not causing Alexander much consternation in the Rangers goal. He dealt competently with Alexsandr Anyukov's half-volley from 30 yards at the right-hand post

Arshavin was orchestrating things for the Russian side, but on 37 minutes, a Davis cross from the right was headed narrowly over the bar by Whittaker from eight yards. At the other end, Rangers, defending in numbers, held firm as Tekke was crowded out on the edge of the area before he could get in a shot at goal.

Darcheville was then bundled to the ground by Denisov and Rangers had a free-kick in a dangerous position on the edge of the area, but Ferguson's free-kick lacked power and was driven straight into the Zenit wall.

In the first minute of first half stoppage-time, a Tekke cross from the right struck the arm of Broadfoot but the referee waved play-on to Rangers' relief. It was a lucky let-off, but meant the half ended goalless with neither side having come too close to scoring.


Second Half

The second period got underway with the now familiar pattern of play being repeated. Arshavin went on a promising dribble down the left wing but was halted by a strong challenge from Broadfoot. Then Hemdani won the ball from Arshavin with a superbly-timed tackle on the edge of the Rangers area.

But on 54 minutes, Rangers had their most threatening moment when a Darcheville shot from 10 yards was parried by Malafeev into the path of Ferguson, and the Rangers skipper's deflected shot hit the arm of Denisov. As he had done in the first half when Zenit appealed, the referee waved play-on.

Weir collided with Tekke in the air and beeded treatment before Davis personfied the Rangers work ethic by tracking back and winning the ball from Zyrianov with an excellent tackle. Then Weir confirmed he was OK by heading . Zyrianov's cross away from danger authoritatively.

With an hour gone, and both sides effecively cancelling each other out, it was difficult to see where the breakthrough would come from, altough it was becoming a much livelier game to watch.

Steven Whittaker fired in a fierce low drive from the left of the area that was deflected out for a corner at the near-post by by Krizanac. From the corner, which Rangers wasted, Zenit broke with a long ball forward for Arshavin to chase. Alexander came sprinting out of his area to try and head it clear but Arshavin got to the ball first and tried to lift his shot deftly into the net from 30 yards. He would have succeeded too, had Sasa Papac not got back to head it off the line decisively.

On 73 minutes the deadlock was finally broken by a superb Russian move that sliced open the Rangers defence. With just over a quarter-of-an-hour to go, Igor Denisov ran onto Arshavin's astute through-ball and, put through one-on-one with Alexander, the St Petersburg-born Zenit winger - who will be 24 at the weekend - tucked his shot into the bottom left-hand corner of the Rangers goal with some aplomb, stunning the mased Rangers fans into near silence.

Suddenly Rangers had to chase the game and their tactics needed to change. While Walter Smith weighed up his options, Zyrianov nearly made it two when he fired Arshavin's pass across the face of the six-yard box and narrowly past the post. Smith's response was to send on Nacho Novo for Papac. A couple of minutes later, Lee McCulloch replaced Hemdani as Rangers switched to 4-3-3 to try and save the game.

With Rangers running out of time, the Glasgow side tried to get the ball forward as quickly as possible, but found the Zenit defence dealing comfortably with their attacks.

On the break, the outstanding Arshavin tried o curl in a shot from the edge of the Rangers area, but scooped it way over the bar. Undaunted, Arshavin tried to thread a ball through ball to Sirl, but Broadfoot cut it out superbly.

Smith's last bthrow of the dice was to send on Kris Boyd for Whittaker. Three minutes of added time were announced and Novo, eight yards out, blazed the ball over the bar when presented with a chance.

Zenit then added the killer second, another well-worked goal, withn the last kick of the match. Zyrianov swept in Tekke's neat ball from the left from a couple of yards to wrap up a well-deserved victory.


Teams:

Zenit St Petersburg: Malafeev, Krizanac, Tekke, Arshavin, Sirl, Shirokov, Zyryanov, Faitzulin, Aniukov, Denisov, Tymoschuk. Subs: Contofalsky, Radimov, Kim, Dominguez, Ricksen, Ionov, Gorshkov.

Rangers: Alexander, Weir, Papac, Ferguson, Hemdani, Thomson, Darcheville, Broadfoot, Cuellar, Whittaker, Davis. Subs: Graeme Smith, Boyd, Novo, Adam, Dailly, McCulloch, Faye.

Referee: Peter Frojdfeldt (Sweden)