Rangers 0 Barcelona 0:It was far from pretty. In fact, at times, Rangers were forced so deep by Barcelona during this scoreless draw that those in the front rows of the Ibrox stands were in danger of being trampled on, but Walter Smith's team, with seven points from their opening three group matches, now have one foot firmly in the last 16 of the Champions League for the second time in three years.
It should be no criticism of Rangers that they were rarely seen as an attacking threat here - in fact they enjoyed their best spell of the match as full-time beckoned - given the exceptional talents of their visitors.
Barca, for all their possession and efforts, failed to prise open a superbly marshalled Rangers defence - a factor that is sure to play on both teams' minds before they meet again in a fortnight.
Rangers' pre-match optimism, fuelled by back-to-back victories over Stuttgart and Lyon, had risen further following the 3-0 win over Celtic on Saturday.
Barca, conversely, had suffered a weekend defeat at Villarreal, with Deco joining Frank Rijkaard's long list of injury victims. Eidur Gudjohnsen was the beneficiary of Deco's misfortune, the former Chelsea player deployed in an unorthodox midfield role.
Gudjohnsen had no shortage of scope to attack, a matter proved within five minutes as the Iceland international came within inches of heading the visitors in front.
Yet, Ronaldinho remained the man Rangers were most wary of in their defensive third, the Brazilian surrounded every time he touched the ball.
It was a late tackle from Alan Hutton which preceded the first instance of Ronaldinho magic, the latter man clipping the resultant free-kick from 25 yards on to Rangers' crossbar.
The vast majority of the capacity Ibrox crowd roared every misplaced Barca pass and celebrated each time their favourites entered visiting territory with similar vigour.
Those instances were few and far between during the opening half hour, although Smith's men were far from embarrassed. Indeed, Daniel Cousin, Rangers' sole attacker, provided more than a few uncomfortable moments for the Barcelona defence.
But Rijkaard's side opened the second half with renewed purpose, hemming Rangers into their own half for the first 10 minutes and peppering the goal with crossed balls. Gudjohnsen tried his luck from long range, but it was Ronaldinho's influence which spelt the biggest danger for Smith's players, the South American drawing his opponents into a series of fouls.
Nonetheless, elements of frustration were evident in the Catalans' technical area, where Rijkaard earned a stern lecture from referee Konrad Plautz for complaining about a booking handed to defender Eric Abidal.
The Dutchman's emotions turned more sour in the 67th-minute when Thierry Henry headed over from six yards when it appeared easier to score following a David Weir error.
Rangers' response was instant and impressive as Cousin curled a sublime pass into the Barca area and Barry Ferguson came agonisingly close to handing the Scots an unlikely lead.
Cousin's intervention roused the home players and support for the closing stages. The French striker drove a volley beyond Victor Valdes' right-hand post as Rangers finished in the ascendancy against a team who seemed to run out of ideas.
Smith, whose failings in Europe proved a matter of ridicule during his first spell as Rangers manager, is finally appreciating the benefits of fielding a team which plays to its strengths.
Given the level of jubilation in the stands at full-time, it is being recognised elsewhere, too.
RANGERS: McGregor, Hutton, Weir, Papac, Adam, McCulloch, Ferguson, Thomson, Cuellar, Novo (Beasley 72), Cousin. Subs not used: Carroll, Boyd, Broadfoot, Whittaker, Naismith, Faye. Booked: Thomson, Papac, Weir.
BARCELONA: Valdes, Thuram, Puyol, Milito, Abidal, Xavi, Gudjohnsen, Iniesta, Ronaldinho, Henry (Giovanni 82), Messi. Subs not used: Jorquera, Sylvinho, Ezquerro, Oleguer, Crosas, Bojan. Booked: Milito, Abidal.
Refereee: K Plautz (Austria).
