Aberdeen 2 (Zdrilic 23, Deloumeaux 89) Rangers 3 (DeBoer 37, Arteta 42, Mols 58)
RANGERS EMERGE WINNERS AT END OF TROUBLED DAY
Aberdeen 2 (Zdrilic 23, Deloumeaux 89) Rangers 3 (DeBoer 37, Arteta 42, Mols 58)
Attendance 16,348
Rangers came from behind to defeat Aberdeen 3-2 at
Pittodrie this afternoon in a game that once again
threw up the best and worst of this engrossing
fixture, with Fernando Ricksen the victim of an
assault from a spectator during the game.
The result itself bore no resemblance to the actual
play – the visitors being deserving of a much
healthier margin of victory in that they
comprehensively outclassed their opponents throughout
the second-half.
Rangers made two changes from the side that
disappointed so much on Wednesday with Craig Moore out
injured and Maurice Ross dropped. Making his debut in
Light Blue was Henning Berg, with Christian Nerlinger
also fielded from the start for the first time in over
a year. Astonishingly there was no place – even on the
bench – for Nuno Capucho who was deemed fit enough to
play for more than half-an-hour in Europe.
The sun shone down on Pittodrie as the crowd poured in
for today’s lunchtime kick-off, the Rangers’
allocation once again severely limited. Barry Ferguson
– the subject of so much transfer speculation in
recent days – was warmly welcomed by the visiting
support.
Rangers had an early penalty claim denied when Ronald
de Boer appeared to be shoved in the back by Russell
Anderson as he met a Mikel Arteta cross in six
minutes.
Sixty seconds later Ferguson’s 25-yard free-kick
skimmed the crossbar as Rangers made all the early
running.
Dons’ goalkeeper David Preece was called into action
in seventeen minutes when he held Nerlinger’s
right-foot drive from an Arteta cross, yet in an
instant the action had switched to the other end –
Stefan Klos proving equal to a David Zdrilic header
from Jamie McQuilken’s cross.
Aberdeen secured a shock lead in 23 minutes – and even
if the goal was something of a fluke they all count. A
long clearance from Phillip McGuire caught Berg
square, allowing David Zdrilic to advance on Klos. The
Australian’s initial drive struck the goalkeeper on
the chest, the rebound bouncing off Zdrilic’s head
into the net.
Six minutes later it might have been two when Darren
Mackie found space on the right, his low ball across
the face of goal being inches away from the inrushing
Scott Booth.
Rangers suffered a serious injury blow when Peter
Lovenkrands was stretchered off following an innocuous
clash with Russell Anderson. A knee injury appeared to
be the problem, and one can only speculate as to the
long-term consequences. Steven Thompson replaced the
Dane.
Five minutes later it was all-square when Ball’s
ferocious twenty-yard free-kick struck the underside
of the bar, the rebound being headed into the net by
De Boer.
Rangers had now regained the initiative, and took the
lead before the interval when Michael Mols did very
well to create space for Mikel Arteta inside the
penalty area, the youngster coolly burying the
opportunity past David Preece.
There was a flare-up just on the half-time whistle
when firstly Barry Ferguson and Phillip McGuire
clashed, quickly followed by Michael Ball and Michael
Hart. Both Ball and McGuire were yellow-carded for
their part in the affray, but Hart could certainly
consider himself fortunate to escape scot-free for
what appeared to be a stamp on Ball.
Rangers had finished the half well on top, and
restarted in much the same mode, with Preece firstly
denying Steven Thompson’s 46th minute angled drive
from an Arteta pass, then five minutes later denying
Arteta himself from a Mols chip.
Paulo Vanoli replaced the limping De Boer in 54
minutes, and then two minutes later there was a
shameful incident when an Aberdeen fan managed to get
onto the pitch from the Dick Donald Stand, running
half the length of the park before aiming a kick at
Fernando Ricksen.
Eventually the deranged idiot was dragged away by the
police, but even more sickening was the sight of the
‘Dons fans in the Dick Donald Stand applauding this
moron as he was led away.
Fernando himself provided the perfect answer in 58
minutes when he threaded a fine pass to Mols on the
edge of the penalty area, the Dutchman turning on a
sixpence before firing a low drive into the corner of
the net to put Rangers 3-1 ahead.
Aberdeen were not yet dead and buried – four minutes
later Zdrilic, a constant menace throughout, struck
the bar with a header from Paul Sheerin’s corner with
Klos floundering.
Zdrilic came close again in 71 minutes when he shot
wide following a Vanoli slip.
Bob Malcolm replaced Henning Berg in 75 minutes
suffering from cramp.
Rangers sliced through the home defence time and time
again in the closing stages without managing to add to
their lead. A flowing move encompassing Arteta,
Ricksen and Thompson saw Preece block Steven’s effort,
then sixty seconds later Arteta fed Thompson wide on
the left, a low cross into the middle finding Malcolm
who sliced the ball wide.
With the seconds ticking away Vanoli was clear
following a one-two with Mols only to shoot wide, yet
with almost the last kick of the ball it was actually
Aberdeen who scored. A Sheerin corner found that man
Zdrilic whose header was cleared off the line by ball,
finding Deloumeaux whose header was cleared by Arteta,
only for a lineman to decide – somewhat
controversially – that the ball had crossed the line.
A bizarre decision, and one that put a somewhat
surreal look on a scoreline that should have seen
Rangers winning by perhaps five goals.
Nevertheless Manager Alex McLeish was content
afterwards:
“This was the real Rangers. We fought, we played for
the jersey. The reaction to the midweek draw was akin
to a death in the family.”
On Barry Ferguson:
“There are no guarantees, but he has a five-year
contract. He gave a commanding performance today.”
Aberdeen Chief Executive Keith Wyness condemned the
pitch invasion, but strangely stated “we will review
the incident and apologise to Mr. Ricksen if we feel
it necessary.”
ABERDEEN Preece; Hart, Anderson, McGuire, McQuilken
(Clark 77); Mackie (McNaughton 66), Tosh, Heikkinen
(Deloumeaux 79), Sheerin; Booth, Zdrilic
UNUSED SUBS Hutton, Hinds,
RANGERS Klos; Ricksen, Khizanishvili, Berg (Malcolm
75) Ball; Arteta, Ferguson, Nerlinger, Lovenkrands
(Thompson 33); Mols, De Boer (Vanoli 54)
UNUSED SUBS McGregor, Hughes,
REFEREE Mike McCurry
________________________________________________________________________
Rangers came from behind to defeat Aberdeen 3-2 at
Pittodrie this afternoon in a game that once again
threw up the best and worst of this engrossing
fixture, with Fernando Ricksen the victim of an
assault from a spectator during the game.
The result itself bore no resemblance to the actual
play – the visitors being deserving of a much
healthier margin of victory in that they
comprehensively outclassed their opponents throughout
the second-half.
Rangers made two changes from the side that
disappointed so much on Wednesday with Craig Moore out
injured and Maurice Ross dropped. Making his debut in
Light Blue was Henning Berg, with Christian Nerlinger
also fielded from the start for the first time in over
a year. Astonishingly there was no place – even on the
bench – for Nuno Capucho who was deemed fit enough to
play for more than half-an-hour in Europe.
The sun shone down on Pittodrie as the crowd poured in
for today’s lunchtime kick-off, the Rangers’
allocation once again severely limited. Barry Ferguson
– the subject of so much transfer speculation in
recent days – was warmly welcomed by the visiting
support.
Rangers had an early penalty claim denied when Ronald
de Boer appeared to be shoved in the back by Russell
Anderson as he met a Mikel Arteta cross in six
minutes.
Sixty seconds later Ferguson’s 25-yard free-kick
skimmed the crossbar as Rangers made all the early
running.
Dons’ goalkeeper David Preece was called into action
in seventeen minutes when he held Nerlinger’s
right-foot drive from an Arteta cross, yet in an
instant the action had switched to the other end –
Stefan Klos proving equal to a David Zdrilic header
from Jamie McQuilken’s cross.
Aberdeen secured a shock lead in 23 minutes – and even
if the goal was something of a fluke they all count. A
long clearance from Phillip McGuire caught Berg
square, allowing David Zdrilic to advance on Klos. The
Australian’s initial drive struck the goalkeeper on
the chest, the rebound bouncing off Zdrilic’s head
into the net.
Six minutes later it might have been two when Darren
Mackie found space on the right, his low ball across
the face of goal being inches away from the inrushing
Scott Booth.
Rangers suffered a serious injury blow when Peter
Lovenkrands was stretchered off following an innocuous
clash with Russell Anderson. A knee injury appeared to
be the problem, and one can only speculate as to the
long-term consequences. Steven Thompson replaced the
Dane.
Five minutes later it was all-square when Ball’s
ferocious twenty-yard free-kick struck the underside
of the bar, the rebound being headed into the net by
De Boer.
Rangers had now regained the initiative, and took the
lead before the interval when Michael Mols did very
well to create space for Mikel Arteta inside the
penalty area, the youngster coolly burying the
opportunity past David Preece.
There was a flare-up just on the half-time whistle
when firstly Barry Ferguson and Phillip McGuire
clashed, quickly followed by Michael Ball and Michael
Hart. Both Ball and McGuire were yellow-carded for
their part in the affray, but Hart could certainly
consider himself fortunate to escape scot-free for
what appeared to be a stamp on Ball.
Rangers had finished the half well on top, and
restarted in much the same mode, with Preece firstly
denying Steven Thompson’s 46th minute angled drive
from an Arteta pass, then five minutes later denying
Arteta himself from a Mols chip.
Paulo Vanoli replaced the limping De Boer in 54
minutes, and then two minutes later there was a
shameful incident when an Aberdeen fan managed to get
onto the pitch from the Dick Donald Stand, running
half the length of the park before aiming a kick at
Fernando Ricksen.
Eventually the deranged idiot was dragged away by the
police, but even more sickening was the sight of the
‘Dons fans in the Dick Donald Stand applauding this
moron as he was led away.
Fernando himself provided the perfect answer in 58
minutes when he threaded a fine pass to Mols on the
edge of the penalty area, the Dutchman turning on a
sixpence before firing a low drive into the corner of
the net to put Rangers 3-1 ahead.
Aberdeen were not yet dead and buried – four minutes
later Zdrilic, a constant menace throughout, struck
the bar with a header from Paul Sheerin’s corner with
Klos floundering.
Zdrilic came close again in 71 minutes when he shot
wide following a Vanoli slip.
Bob Malcolm replaced Henning Berg in 75 minutes
suffering from cramp.
Rangers sliced through the home defence time and time
again in the closing stages without managing to add to
their lead. A flowing move encompassing Arteta,
Ricksen and Thompson saw Preece block Steven’s effort,
then sixty seconds later Arteta fed Thompson wide on
the left, a low cross into the middle finding Malcolm
who sliced the ball wide.
With the seconds ticking away Vanoli was clear
following a one-two with Mols only to shoot wide, yet
with almost the last kick of the ball it was actually
Aberdeen who scored. A Sheerin corner found that man
Zdrilic whose header was cleared off the line by ball,
finding Deloumeaux whose header was cleared by Arteta,
only for a lineman to decide – somewhat
controversially – that the ball had crossed the line.
A bizarre decision, and one that put a somewhat
surreal look on a scoreline that should have seen
Rangers winning by perhaps five goals.
Nevertheless Manager Alex McLeish was content
afterwards:
“This was the real Rangers. We fought, we played for
the jersey. The reaction to the midweek draw was akin
to a death in the family.”
On Barry Ferguson:
“There are no guarantees, but he has a five-year
contract. He gave a commanding performance today.”
Aberdeen Chief Executive Keith Wyness condemned the
pitch invasion, but strangely stated “we will review
the incident and apologise to Mr. Ricksen if we feel
it necessary.”
ABERDEEN Preece; Hart, Anderson, McGuire, McQuilken
(Clark 77); Mackie (McNaughton 66), Tosh, Heikkinen
(Deloumeaux 79), Sheerin; Booth, Zdrilic
UNUSED SUBS Hutton, Hinds,
RANGERS Klos; Ricksen, Khizanishvili, Berg (Malcolm
75) Ball; Arteta, Ferguson, Nerlinger, Lovenkrands
(Thompson 33); Mols, De Boer (Vanoli 54)
UNUSED SUBS McGregor, Hughes,
REFEREE Mike McCurry
________________________________________________________________________