I'd rather not talk about this game! We won the game, actually 1-0, thanks to a goal from Walem - but Rangers go through to the Champions League, while we have to make do with the UEFA Cup again. It's very depressing. I will put in though what I wrote onto the list. It's a cop-out, I know - but the best I can do!
Half time: I think most of us probably have coverage of this game, but just in case . . .
Parma 0 Rangers 0
This is absolute agony. I think we had just about every single kick of the first 17 minutes and several chances on goal. Chances spurned by Vanoli and Di Viao. Ortega had a wonderful free-kick wonderfully saved by Charbonnier. Ortega is winning many free-kicks in fact and his rolling is exquisite! :) Di Vaio has been disappointing. Crespo hardly in the game. Buffon only had to make one save (right at the end). Fuser has been playing well, having a lot of the ball - and taking thousands of corners. Vanoli is being effectively marked by Adamzcuk. Thuram is his usual efficient, calm self - but Lassissi! He's a scream!! Admittedly he's made a couple of good tackles, one of which was vital, but how he got to be a professional footballer is a mystery to me!
I thought we'd score early, because we were really playing great - but no such luck - and now Rangers are getting more and more confident.
Still hope, but we really needed a goal in the first half maybe. The second half gonna be very tense.
Hope you're enjoying Tom and Gerry, Blair and Shanie!! We have Pooh Bear (Craig Brown, the Scotland manager) and I wish somebody would shoot him! :) :)
Full capacity at the ground it looks! Great atmosphere!
Full time: Again, just for anybody not unfortunate enough to have had to endure this game!
PARMA 1 RANGERS 0 (Rangers win 2-1 on aggregate).
Nothing much to say is there! We didn't want this anyway did we?! :) The Scudetto here we come!
However, just a few comments.
Walem and Stanic came on on 63 mins for Di Vaio and Boghossian, both of whom had had poor games (especially Di Vaio). On 68 mins Walem hit splendid drive and Charbonnier fumbled. Goal!
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pictures courtesy of Rai's website.
We lost this tie two weeks ago, people, of course. Thanks Fabio! Also, though, I think we really have to do something up front. Di Vaio was VERY disappointing. And Crespo was very much out of sorts. It can't take away the disappointment, but I don't think our boys could've played much better than they did tonight. Fuser and Ortega, especially. They gave it all they had, imo. We needed a bit of luck (we deserved it!) but it never came.
It was an understandably defensive display from Rangers and their tactics paid off - although I think that even Neill might concede that they might have been a little fortunate to have survived the onlaught they got. However, sincere good luck to Rangers. See you again next year! :)
Oh, well . . . .
Look out Perugia, Sunday!
Forza Parma!
Teams Line-ups
Parma: Buffon; Torrissi, Thuram, Lassissi; Fuser, Baggio, Boghossian, Vanoli; Ortega; di Vaio, Crespo.
Rangers: Charbonnier; Porrini, Amoruso, Moore; Adamczuk, Reyna, Ferguson, van Bronckhorst, Vidmar; Mols, Wallace (McCann 60). Booked: Wallace, Amoruso.
Referee: K-E Nilsson (Sweden).
Write-up from the Telegraph
Parma (0) 1 Rangers (0) 0
(Rangers win 2-1 on agg)
RANGERS raised their profile considerably on the European stage last night when they overcame the huge obstacle of Parma to reach the group stages of the Champions League.
A two-goal lead from the first leg of this third qualifying round would, normally, have seemed a comfortable enough cushion. But Rangers came unstuck against Parma in Europe last season and, fearful of any repeat, they treated their opponents with respect, if not trepidation.
However, on this occasion, the Rangers rearguard held firm - except for one wobble in the second half.
Dick Advocaat, the Rangers manager, sprang an immediate surprise in his team selection, dropping Neil McCann to the bench and starting with a 3-5-2 formation which included Dariusz Adamczuk. The Pole marked Paolo Vanoli on Rangers' right while Tony Vidmar was posted left to block Diego Fuser's route down the flank.
Anticipating that Ariel Ortega would be handed a free role by Parma, Advocaat detailed Barry Ferguson for sentry duty on the Argentinian World Cup star.
Rangers were slow starters and could and should have been a goal down after only six minutes. Fuser directed a cutback into the path of the perenially dangerous Hernan Crespo. The Argentinian's effort was charged down and the ball squirmed free across the six yard line with Vanoli in pursuit. A despairing tackle from Adamczuk, however, was sufficient to put Vanoli off and he lifted his shot over from point blank range.
The next menace came from an Ortega free kick, driven from 27 yards but met with a superlative overhand save by Lionel Charbonnier. At this stage of the game Rangers' passing was below their usual standard. However, there were signs that Parma were becoming frustrated and they were angered when Ferguson somehow escaped a caution for toppling Ortega.
From the free kick on the left Fuser's attempt prompted Charbonnier into another top class parry for a corner which came to nothing. Having been lenient with Ferguson the Swedish referee was not in the mood to allow Amoruso to get away with blatant time wasting at a Rangers free kick and the Ibrox captain's caution means he will be suspended for the next European outing. As half time approached the tempo of the contest slowed to Rangers' advantage as they reached the dressing room unscathed.
They kept up the good work after the interval and, on the hour mark, Tony Vidmar sent a rasping drive against the angle of post and crossbar. Parma's relentless efforts were finally rewarded when Johan Walem pulled a goal back in 68 minutes. But Rangers held firm thereafter.
Notes on the background
(I used this background because it seemed apt to how I felt today!)
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"The Scream" painted by Edvard Munch in 1893.Edward Munch's most famous work has gained enormously in popularity, especially since World War II. Perhaps the existential fear here rendered by the artist has become more widespread in recent decades. The first time Munch described the experience which gave rise to this painting was in Nice, writing in his literary diary. The entry for 22 January 1892 reads:
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