SOMEONE, somewhere has had their finger on the 'destiny' switch where Rangers' Uefa Cup run is concerned.
Whether it be another penalty shoot-out, Dick Advocaat's success in the other semi-final, David Weir's recovery from injury, the presence of Neil Alexander in place of Allan McGregor, Barry Ferguson missing a spot-kick after being the only forward th
reat in Florence or Fiorentina talisman Christian Vieri – a second-half substitute – firing over the crossbar, you can perm any one of several predetermining factors.
Even the words of Rangers manager Walter Smith before the second leg in Florence were to prove fateful on a night where his team became the first Ibrox side to reach a European final since the legendary 1972 Cup Winners' Cup team.
The former Everton and Scotland manager had hinted before the second leg he would follow the tried-and-trusted route through European away games, where an away goal proves crucial.
Perhaps, though, his words with regard to veteran defender Weir were to prove more fateful. The 37-year-old had been expected to sit out the second leg after picking up a groin injury in the defeat at Celtic on Sunday. Smith had said himself earlier in the week that Weir would not make it – but he did.
On Wednesday, Weir was on the plane, given until the last minute to prove his fitness. A day later, news filtered through that Weir would start, while Kirk Broadfoot would make way for Christian Dailly. That second part turned out to be rumour, but there was Weir's name on the teamsheet at kick-off. Was he fit, or was this Smith taking an uncharacteristic gamble? Two hours of football later, we had our answer.
The Scotland centre-half proved – again – though, to be an inspirational presence at the Artemio Franchi Stadium, offering a cajoling and solid support to his defensive colleagues. The unfortunate victim of a second-half caution, Weir played throughout the full game despite his injury. His appearance in the final on 14 May is a simple case of just reward.
Indeed, the Rangers defence has been beaten only twice away from home in their Uefa Cup run this year as the team's resilience again overcame the odds.
True, there was not much to show in attack, with Rangers threatening the Fiorentina goal perhaps only twice. When a stupid reaction from Daniel Cousin saw the visitors reduced to ten men, it brought to mind Bobo Balde's dismissal against Porto in the 2003 Uefa Cup final, a disadvantage that all but sealed Celtic's demise in extra time.
But still Rangers looked capable of succeeding, even if they had just lost one of their first-choice penalty takers.
The presence of Advocaat in the opposing dug-out at the City of Manchester Stadium a week on Wednesday offers the most intriguing coincidence of the Uefa Cup final this year. The Dutchman spent millions of chairman Sir David Murray's money in a bid to ensure Rangers became a major player on the European stage.
Ultimately, however, Advocaat could not find a way beyond the Champions League group stages and it was left to his successor, Alex McLeish, to guide Rangers into the knockout stages for the first time two years ago, despite playing with a tiny budget after the spending of the former Holland manager.
Advocaat's Zenit St Petersburg team – including former Rangers favourite, Fernando Ricksen – have also upset the odds to reach the final.
Advocaat guided Zenit to the Russian title last season – the club's first league triumph since winning the old Soviet championship in 1984 – but his achievement in reaching the Uefa Cup final, arguably, outstrips that. The warning signs were there for semi-final opponents Bayern Munich before the second leg at the Petrovsky Stadium on Thursday. Zenit earned their first win on German soil in the quarter-final against Bayer Leverkusen with a 4-1 victory in the away leg. The four-goal blitz of the Bavarian side this week will, however, have surprised many, particularly with Luca Toni back in the Munich ranks.
Rangers fans who tuned into the Zenit match on ITV4, which kicked off over two hours before events in Florence, were hoping to see the mighty Bayern Munich knocked out. They got their wish – but they soon realised that Zenit will be just as dangerous. There was a flicker of hope though, when striker Pavel Pogrebnyak, the joint top scorer in this season's Uefa Cup with ten goals, picked up a yellow card and will now miss the final through suspension. Again, fate was favouring Rangers.
Only for a moment did luck seem to desert Rangers. Barry Ferguson was first out of the blocks to take a penalty in the shoot-out – and the subsequent miss must have ricocheted through his body before Nacho Novo struck the winner.
For the third time in crucial cup-ties this season, Rangers stayed cool in the fierce intensity of a shoot-out. The CIS Cup was claimed in March in the same fashion against Dundee United at Hampden Park, while First Division St Johnstone fell victim to nerves in the Scottish Cup semi-final last month.
All of which brings the list of coincidences to the focus of Thursday night's drama – Neil Alexander. The Scotland international moved to Glasgow in January, and has waited patiently on the sidelines while Allan McGregor has been in supreme form. When McGregor succumbed to an ankle injury in the 2-1 defeat at Celtic on 14 April, Alexander had his chance – and has taken it.
He stopped two penalties in the Scottish Cup semi-final against St Johnstone, and this time pushed Fabio Liverani's spot-kick away to give Rangers a psychological advantage in Florence ahead of Vieri's penalty which cleared the bar.
For the final, however, the fates seem less clear.
The full article contains 987 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
