BRAHIM Hemdani has warned his Rangers' team-mates they face a long summer of painful regret if they are unable to take the final step in their quest for European glory tonight.
The Algerian midfielder was captain of the Marseille side who lost 2-0 to Valencia in the 2004 Uefa Cup final in Gothenburg and even four years on, he retains a vivid recollection of the anguish he experienced in the aftermath of that match.
Hemda
ni has been a pivotal figure in Rangers' progress to this year's final and he is doubly determined to collect the winners' medal which eluded him with his previous club. "I remember there was real excitement in the build-up to the final four years ago, but we ended up losing the game and it was just horrendous," recalled Hemdani yesterday.
"I found it very difficult to recover from that defeat. It was so disappointing to get so close to winning a European trophy and then walking away with nothing but a loser's medal.
"It took me around four months to get over losing that game. It was probably as low as I have felt in my career. I just couldn't get it out of my head all summer and it was well into the next season before the pain started to ease.
"It still hurts when I think back to that game and, as I said, it is not easy to forget something like that.
"I certainly wouldn't want to go through the same pain all over again and that is why I will be doing everything in my power to walk off the pitch at the final whistle as a winner.
"If I could lift the Uefa Cup it would be the highlight of my career and would go a long way to wiping out some of the pain from the last time."
The 2004 final turned on the controversial dismissal of Marseille goalkeeper Fabien Barthez by referee Pierluigi Collina, a decision which still grates with Hemdani today.
"I felt my Marseille team gave everything and we were just unlucky on the night," he said. "We got Fabien sent off and that changed the game. I think we were more than matching Valencia but that decision changed the game.
"For me it was a strange decision and I don't ever think I will be able to understand the referee showing the red card. I still have the medal and it will be a good memento of my career but it would be great if I could pick up a winners' medal to go with it. The one thing is that we can't afford to come off the park with any regrets. We have a really big chance to achieve something and hopefully we can deliver.
"It is very close. Zenit have a good team and players but we also know we can win it. If we play to our strengths and like we have done in Europe this season then there is no reason why we can't win this game."
Nacho Novo, who struck the decisive penalty in the shoot-out defeat of Fiorentina in the semi-final, is preparing himself for a similar scenario in what he hopes will be both a memorable and poignant occasion.
"If it goes to penalties and I have to take the last one, I won't run away from it," said the Spanish striker. "I did it against Fiorentina and scoring was a highlight of my career.
"My one regret is that my mother Isabel, who died four years ago, will not be here. She would have loved to see her son play in a match like this."
The full article contains 626 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
