FOOTBALL Live

Tuesday October 23, 2007 Finished Ibrox Park

0 - 0

Rangers

Barcelona

  1. Group E: Rangers hold Barca

    Group E: Rangers hold Barca

    A disciplined defensive display from Rangers enabled them to earn a deserved 0-0 draw in Champions League Group E against a Barcelona side full of glittering names but short of ideas up front. French champions Lyon finally secured a win with a 2-0 away result against German counterparts Stuttgart. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • Rangers
    • Barcelona
    • - Thank you for joining eurosport.yahoo.com for tonight's Champions League action. We'll be back with the rest of this week's matches tomorrow - so be there!
    • 92' And it's all over! Rangers 0-0 Barca. Not a thriller, but Rangers will be delighted with a point, which keeps them level on points with tonight's opponents at the top of Group E.
    • 91' Rangers are still snapping into their tackles. It's been a performance of tremendous energy from the home side.
    • 90' Still no score. There will be two minutes of stoppage time!
    • 89' Barca attack; Rangers defend. The stage is set for the closing five minutes...
    • 87' Abidal gets a bit tired of all this pass 'n' move nonsense, and lashes in an ambitious shot from 25 yards that goes about 25 yards wide.
    • 85' Messi finds Giovani in the box, but he can't take the ball under his control and Rangers clear their lines.
    • 84' Will both sides now settle for a draw? It'd be a great result for Rangers, but by no means a disaster for Barcelona.
    • 83' Another imperious tackle from Carlos Cuellar. This time the Rangers centre half halts Iniesta in his tracks.
    • 82' If Barca are to find a breakthrough in the last ten minutes, it won't be via Thierry Henry. He makes way for the exciting young Mexican forward Giovani dos Santos.
    • 80' What a chance for Rangers! After some sustained Rangers pressure, Ferguson's lofted cross finds Cousin at the back post, but his right foot volley flashes wide!
    • 79' For all their unquestionably great players, Barcelona don't seem to have much of a gameplan. They've been trying to pass the ball into the net for 80 minutes, but it just isn't working.
    • 78' As Barca slowly push more men forward, they're starting to leave gaps at the back, and the lively Beasley might be just the man to exploit the open space.
    • 77' Great play from Beasley! He tackles Henry, and then races away from him before the Frenchman bundles him over. And the ref plays on!
    • 75' First touch for Beasley. He out-paces Messi (which is no mean feat) and wins a throw on the halfway line.
    • 74' A sight of goal for Rangers! Cousin's cross from the left is cleared to the edge of the box, but McCulloch rather snatches at his half-volley and it goes over.
    • 73' Rangers' belief is growing here. If they could snatch a late goal they would secure a result every bit as impressive as Celtic's win over AC Milan...
    • 72' Beasley enters the fray, in place of the hard-working Novo.
    • 71' Free-kick to Barca on the right-hand edge of the area. Weir chops down Messi in full flight, and is rightly cautioned.
    • 70' The home fans have found their voices now. Maybe the sight of DaMarcus Beasley warming up has got them excited...
    • 69' Chance for Rangers! Cousin curls in a great cross from the left, and Novo and Ferguson are inches away from connecting with it!
    • 68' Chance for Barca! Ronaldinho wins a corner, and when Papac misses the ball at the near post Henry has a great chance to score, but he's caught by surprise and his header goes wide!
    • 67' Rangers on the attack! Hutton fires in a low cross which Milito shins over the bar. The corner is cleared to Ferguson, but from his cross Cousin strays offside.
    • 66' Henry and Messi are starting to pop up in more central areas, but they still haven't figured out a route to goal.
    • 64' Frank Rijkaard is not a happy bunny! He's flailing his arms indignantly about something on the touchline, but the ref tells him to button it.
    • 63' Another free-kick in a promising position goes to waste.
    • 62' Novo versus Abidal down the right again, but the ref judges Abidal's shoulder-barge illegal and awards a free-kick. And then books him, presumably for complaining.
    • 61' Henry is starting to see more of the ball now, but Hutton is doing an admirable job against him.
    • 60' Half an hour to go! Can Rangers hold it together? They're offering nothing going forward whatsoever.
    • 59' Gudjohnsen flicks the ball back to Xavi, but his first-time shot flies over the crossbar.
    • 58' Henry weaves into the box and lays the ball square for Ronaldinho, but he dummies it and McCulloch hacks it clear!
    • 57' Pretty stuff from Barca on the edge of the home side's box. Gudjohnsen makes a surge for the byline and wins a corner, which Weir clears.
    • 56' Novo races onto a pass down the right wing, but Abidal eases him off the ball and plays it clear. You don't get to be France's number one left back for nothing!
    • 55' Gudjohnsen takes aim from the edge of the area, but McGregor dives down to his right and makes a good save!
    • 53' XAVI IN AIMLESS LONG BALL SHOCKER. Hold the front page! Is the little Spaniard getting frustrated? His passing is usually the definition of precision.
    • 52' It's another opportunity wasted for Barca, but they're back in possession soon enough.
    • 51' The free-kick is cleared, but Barca attack again through Henry and win a corner.
    • 50' Free-kick to Barca! Messi knocks it past Papac, and the floppy-fringed left back brings him down.
    • 49' Adam plays the resulting free-kick towards goal, but it's too low and Henry heads clear.
    • 48' Yellow card shown to Milito after he slides in on Cousin and appears to handle the ball.
    • 47' More patient passing play from the Catalans. It might not actually lead to anything this time, but it's lovely to watch!
    • 46' The second half kicks off. Can Rangers hold out for another 45 minutes? Can they find a goal themselves?
    • 46' Walter Smith will be pleased to hear the half-time whistle. Barca have had all the possession, but Rangers have defended stoutly and only on occasion did they look in danger of being breached.
    • 44' Barca close in again... Puyol nutmegs Papac and sends in a low cross that reaches Henry at the back post, but Hutton makes a terrific challenge!
    • 43' Can Rangers hold out here? Barca are really starting to ask some questions. Ronaldinho is booed after going down threatrically following a challenge by Ferguson.
    • 42' Great chance for Barca! The ball finds its way to Ronaldinho's feet after a corner, but his toe-poked shot from 10 yards is blocked! Rangers hanging on as the first half nears its close.
    • 40' Great save from McGregor! Puyol throws his head at a cross, but the keeper manages to push it over the bar!
    • 39' Henry tries a strike from distance... but it balloons well over!
    • 38' Henry dances into the area from the left and wins a corner, but Rangers scramble it clear.
    • 36' Danger here again for Rangers. Kevin Thomson fouls Henry right on the edge of the box and is carded. Luckily for him, Ronaldinho's disappointing free-kick goes straight into the wall.
    • 35' Messi and Ronaldinho link up on the edge of the box, but there are just too many defenders in the way once again.
    • 32' A great, powerful run forward from Cousin, but he can't find a team-mate with his pass.
    • 31' Rangers are starting to see more of the ball now, but Barca are proving that they're pretty organised at the back too.
    • 30' It's all pretty cagey here. Neither side is committing too many men forward, but Barca look the more likely to find a breakthrough.
    • 29' Rangers string some passes together, before Ferguson looks for Cousin with a long ball that's just too strong.
    • 28' Cousin gets his head to a long Hutton throw-in from the right, but there's no power in the header and Valdes takes it comfortably.
    • 27' Barca may be dictating the play, but whenever they get within sniffing distance of the Rangers goal, a wall of blue shirts blocks their way.
    • 26' Barcelona roll forward again. Messi's cross from the left goes right across the six yard box and Sasa Papac puts it out for a corner at the back post. Milito meets the corner and sends it straight up in the air, but McGregor gathers it at the second attempt.
    • 24' And the free-kick hits the crossbar and goes over! McGregor just got his fingers to it, but the ref gives a goal kick! Frank Rijkaard isn't happy.
    • 23' More patient approach play from the men in the flourescent orange shirts. Ronaldinho draws a clumsy foul from Hutton. Free-kick!
    • 21' Charlie Adam bursts down the left wing and whips in an inviting cross, but Gabriel Milito is there to head it away.
    • 20' Henry clears the ball, and Barca resume ownership of the ball once again.
    • 19' Lovely skill from Novo on the right. He beats Abidal but his low cross is claimed by Valdes. Moments later he's at it again. This time a right-footed shot hits Thuram and goes behind for a corner.
    • 18' Barcelona are enjoying the lion's share of possession here. Rangers need to make the most of the ball when they have it.
    • 17' Hutton breaks down the right, but his cross is too high and Valdes plucks it from the air.
    • 15' Danger here for Rangers. Weir brings down Ronaldinho about 25 yards from goal. It's a free-kick, but the toothy Number 10's effort sails well over.
    • 14' A sight of goal for Barca! Henry plays in Messi on the right, but his low right-footed shot across goal is cleared away.
    • 12' Thuram takes exception to a couple of strong challenges as he tries to guard the ball, but the referee steps in before things have a chance to escalate.
    • 11' Barca's turn to attack. Some nice build-up play culminates in a right-wing cross from Puyol, but he can't find an orange shirt.
    • 9' Rangers starting to assert themselves. Nacho Novo sends in a cross from the right, but neither Lee McCulloch nor Cousin can get on the end of it.
    • 8' Free-kick to Rangers over on the far touchline. Eric Abidal handles the ball to prevent it reaching Alan Hutton, but escapes without a booking.
    • 6' Henry's left-wing cross is cleared for a corner. Gudjohnsen gets his head to it, but lifts it just over the bar! He should have done better.
    • 5' Daniel Cousin wins a free-kick wide on the left after being bundled to the ground by Thuram. Barry Ferguson whips it in, but Victor Valdes claims it easily.
    • 4' Henry looks to get on the end of a long ball from the back, but he's offside.
    • 3' Barca enjoying most of the possession, but Rangers arenÂ’t giving them any time on the ball.
    • 2' A first involvement for Ronaldinho, but his toe-poked pass fails to find Henry on the left.
    • 1' The game is underway at a fervent Ibrox Stadium. Barca have surprisingly gone with Lilian Thuram at centre half and Carlos Puyol at right back.
    • - Barcelona are in the midst of an injury crisis at the moment, with Rafael Marquez, Gianluca Zambrotta, Edmilson, Deco, Yaya Toure and Samuel EtoÂ’o all out. Former Bolton Wanderers and Chelsea man Eidur Gudjohnsen earns a rare start in midfield.
    • - Rangers have to do without Frenchmen Brahim Hemdani and Jean Claude Darcheville, who are both suffering from hamstring problems.
    • - Referee: Konrad Plautz (Austria)
    • - Barcelona: Valdes; Thuram, Puyol, Milito, Abidal; Xavi, Iniesta, Gudjohnsen; Messi, Henry, Ronaldinho
    • - Rangers: McGregor; Hutton, Weir, Cuellar, Papac; McCulloch, Thomson, Ferguson, Adam; Novo; Cousin
    • - Hello and welcome to eurosport.yahoo.com's LIVE coverage of the big Champions League game from Ibrox!

  • Team Stats

    Rangers Stats Barcelona
    29% Possession 70%
    4 Shots 17
    0 Shots on target 2
    0 Saves 0
    4 Corners 10
    13 Fouls 20
    1 Offsides 2
    3 Yellow cards 2
    0 Red cards 0
    22 Tackles 16
    217 Accurate passes 610
    29 Bad passes 86

  • Player Stats

    G =
    Goals
    S =
    Shots
    SoT =
    Shot on Target
    F =
    Fouls
    FW =
    Fouls Won
    O =
    Offsides
    A =
    Assists
    AP =
    Accurate Passes
    BP =
    Bad Passes
    T =
    Tackles
    • Rangers
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      1 Allan McGregor 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 7 4 0
      24 Carlos Cuellar 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 2 3
      5 Sasa Papac 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 16 7 3
      2 Alan Hutton 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 24 0 2
      3 David Weir 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 27 0 3
      8 Kevin Thomson 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 22 1 2
      6 Barry Ferguson 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 41 4 0
      11 Charlie Adam 0 1 0 3 2 0 0 27 4 3
      27 Lee McCulloch 0 1 0 3 2 0 0 12 3 1
      29 Daniel Cousin 0 1 0 3 5 1 0 12 3 1
      10 Nacho Novo 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 13 1 2
      21 Kirk Broadfoot 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      39 Amdy Faye 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      20 DaMarcus Beasley 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 2
      38 Steven Naismith 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      9 Kris Boyd 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      28 Steven Whittaker 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      25 Roy Carroll 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
    • Barcelona
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      1 Víctor Valdés 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0
      3 Gabriel Milito 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 59 9 2
      22 Eric Abidal 0 1 0 3 2 0 0 48 21 2
      21 Lilian Thuram 0 0 0 4 3 0 0 35 0 1
      5 Carles Puyol 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 43 1 6
      6 Xavi Hernández 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 118 11 0
      8 Andres Iniesta 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 101 18 1
      19 Lionel Messi 0 2 1 1 3 0 0 63 3 2
      14 Thierry Henry 0 3 0 0 1 1 0 28 12 0
      7 Eidur Gudjohnsen 0 2 1 0 1 1 0 37 5 2
      10 Gaucho Ronaldinho 0 6 0 2 7 0 0 71 5 0
      18 Santiago Ezquerro 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      27 Bojan Krkic 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      17 Giovanni dos Santos 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 0
      26 Marc Crosas 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      16 Sylvinho Mendes Campos 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      25 Albert Jorquera 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      23 Oleguer Presas Renom 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

  • Summary

    • - Thank you for joining eurosport.yahoo.com for tonight's Champions League action. We'll be back with the rest of this week's matches tomorrow - so be there!
    • 80' What a chance for Rangers! After some sustained Rangers pressure, Ferguson's lofted cross finds Cousin at the back post, but his right foot volley flashes wide!
    • 74' A sight of goal for Rangers! Cousin's cross from the left is cleared to the edge of the box, but McCulloch rather snatches at his half-volley and it goes over.
    • 68' Chance for Barca! Ronaldinho wins a corner, and when Papac misses the ball at the near post Henry has a great chance to score, but he's caught by surprise and his header goes wide!
    • 58' Henry weaves into the box and lays the ball square for Ronaldinho, but he dummies it and McCulloch hacks it clear!
    • 55' Gudjohnsen takes aim from the edge of the area, but McGregor dives down to his right and makes a good save!
    • 44' Barca close in again... Puyol nutmegs Papac and sends in a low cross that reaches Henry at the back post, but Hutton makes a terrific challenge!
    • 42' Great chance for Barca! The ball finds its way to Ronaldinho's feet after a corner, but his toe-poked shot from 10 yards is blocked! Rangers hanging on as the first half nears its close.
    • 40' Great save from McGregor! Puyol throws his head at a cross, but the keeper manages to push it over the bar!
    • 24' And the free-kick hits the crossbar and goes over! McGregor just got his fingers to it, but the ref gives a goal kick! Frank Rijkaard isn't happy.
    • 14' A sight of goal for Barca! Henry plays in Messi on the right, but his low right-footed shot across goal is cleared away.
    • 6' Henry's left-wing cross is cleared for a corner. Gudjohnsen gets his head to it, but lifts it just over the bar! He should have done better.

Live Team Line-Up

  • Referee: Konrad Plautz

  • Rangers

    Manager: Walter Smith

    Captain: Barry Ferguson

    Starting line-up

    • A. McGregor
    • A. Hutton
    • D. Weir
    • S. Papac Yellow Card
    • K. Thomson Yellow Card
    • B. Ferguson
    • L. McCulloch
    • N. Novo Substitution Out (71′)
    • C. Adam
    • D. Cousin

    Subs

    • A. Faye
    • R. Carroll
    • D. Beasley Substitution In71′
    • S. Smith
    • K. Boyd
    • K. Broadfoot
    • S. Whittaker
    • S. Lennon

    Injured

    • B. Hemdani
    • J. Darcheville

    Suspended

    None

  • Barcelona

    Manager: Frank Rijkaard

    Captain: Carles Puyol

    Starting line-up

    • V. Valdés
    • L. Thuram
    • C. Puyol
    • G. Milito Yellow Card
    • E. Abidal Yellow Card
    • H. Xavi
    • A. Iniesta
    • L. Messi
    • R. Ronaldinho
    • E. Gudjohnsen
    • T. Henry Substitution Out (81′)

    Subs

    • S. Sylvinho
    • S. Ezquerro
    • J. Oleguer
    • A. Jorquera
    • G. Dos Santos Substitution In81′
    • M. Crosas
    • P. Bojan Krkic

    Injured

    • R. Márquez
    • J. Edmilson
    • A. De Souza "Deco"

    Suspended

    None