Steve Davis opened his goalscoring account as Rangers took a major step towards the last eight of the UEFA Cup with a 2-0 win over Werder Bremen at Ibrox.

Davis sealed the win early in the second half after Daniel Cousin put his failed move to Fulham firmly behind him with a goal on the stroke of half-time.

The last time Rangers treated their fans to European goals at home was against Stuttgart here back in September and Walter Smith's men were on top form against German opposition again to improve their chances of seeing out the tie in Bremen next week.

Rangers took the lead on the stroke of half-time in stunning style when Tim Wiese managed to get both hands to the ball but Cousin's sublime, 35-yard shot was packed with so much power that the Bremen goalkeeper succeeded only in helping the ball drift over his head and into the net.

Just when the Ibrox faithful thought their night could not get any better, it did three minutes into the second period when Davis released Cousin out on the right flank and the striker's angled drive was parried by Wiese, who was left with no chance when Davis followed up to rifle home the rebound from six yards just two minutes after the restart.

The on-loan Fulham midfielder could then have grabbed his second of the night when Ferguson whipped a cross in from the left and a full-stretch Davis saw his header dip just over the crossbar before substitute Lee McCulloch the looked set to add a third as he was presented an open goal but somehow allowed Naldo to get back and make a saving tackle.

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