Football: Gattuso inspires Rangers

THE NIGHT held anxieties but Rangers held their nerve to progress to the second round of the Uefa Cup where they will be among elevated company being in the same group as Roma, Bayer Leverkusen, Athletico Madrid and Bordeaux.

Two goals in each half saw Rangers through but for a period in the first half they might have let this tie slip and that would have been criminal given that the Scottish side had complete dominance for the first 25 minutes and, given a break, they might have had the game sewn up long before the visitors enjoyed their best period.

It took the home side just 21 seconds to take the lead in which time none of the visiting players managed a touch on the ball. From the kick off Barry Ferguson found Giovanni van Bronckhorst on the left and his low cross was swept home at the far post by Rino Gattuso.

The passing game of Dick Advocaat is clearly beginning to bear fruit at Ibrox with Rangers playing some sparkling mid-field football and just the kind of game which is ideal for the European arena.

However, the Scottish side were also taught a sharp lesson that confidence must go with the style because Rangers lost their way mid-way through that first half.

Before then they were awesome, with Ferguson shooting against the goalkeeper after he had been played through in the 15th minute, and Itzhak Kornfein reacted well to save from Sergio Porrini in the 16th minute. But he was beaten for a second time in the 24th minute when the Italian defender headed home a corner at the near post.

At that stage, Rangers appeared to be home and dry but they fell out of the game as the visitors re-grouped, the turning point coming in the 34th minute when Istvan Salloi scored from close range.

Within two minutes Tamas Sandor saw a first-time shot miss the far post by inches and the same player was denied by a quite magnificent save by Lionel Charbonnier, who has been called into the French squad. He somehow managed to get up to push over a powerful shot destined for the top corner.

The importance of that save was demonstrated on the hour mark when Rangers took a two-goal advantage, Jonatan Johansson side-footing home a Tony Vidmar cross.

Five minutes later the tie was over as Johansson was brought down by the goalkeeper but before the referee could blow for a penalty, Rod Wallace followed up to shoot home to give Rangers a 4-1 lead on the night.

Eliahu Ohana pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 79th minute but Johansson and then Charlie Miller missed easy chances for Rangers who, in the end, cruised into the second round.

Rangers (4-4-2): Charbonnier; Porrini, Moore (Hendry, 88), Amoruso, Vidmar; Gattuso, B Ferguson, Van Bronckhorst, Albertz; Johansson (Miller, 80), Wallace. Substitutes not used: Niemi, Petric, Stensaas, Graham, Rozental.

Beitar Jerusalem (4-5-1): Kornfein; Levy (Ohana, 66), Shelah, Deri, Mizrahi; Salloi, Abukasis, Sandor, Telesnikov, Hama; Shitrit. Substitutes not used: Grif, Raychman, Tretiak, Yaacobi.

Referee: S Khussainov (Russia).