Rod Wallace threw Rangers a lifeline and gave them a glimmer of hope of advancing to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Cup with a 69th-minute equaliser against Parma in the first leg of their third round match after Abel Balbo had given the Italians the lead. Parma's Balbo skipped away from Ian Ferguson in the third minute only to knock his effort wide of the post.

Croatian star Mario Stanic troubled Rangers with his pace and goalkeeper Antti Niemi reacted quickly to beat away his shot after Amoruso had been left floundering.

Parma looked dangerous every time they broke forward and Juan Veron cleared the bar after Stanic had played the ball into his path.

It took Rangers half an hour to carve out their first chance. Wallace found Andrei Kanchelskis on the right but his half-volley was cleanly taken by 'keeper Gianluigi Buffon.

Rangers had a narrow escape nine minutes before the break when a free-kick from Veron evaded Amoruso. Stanic was left in the clear but lost his footing and the chance of making the breakthrough.

Rangers took the game to the visitors after the break with Jorg Albertz firing in a fierce effort that Buffon did well to palm away. But Parma took the lead in the 51st minute to stun the 49,000 crowd.

Veron slipped a nice ball through the middle and Niemi got a hand to Crespo's shot. But it only went as far as Balbo, who made the most of his easy task from close range.

Rangers were back in it in the 69th minute. Colin Hendry nodded down a cross from Albertz and Wallace was on hand to hook the ball into the net to give Rangers a slim chance of making the next round.

Rangers: Niemi, Porrini, Amoruso, Hendry, Numan, B. Ferguson, Kanchelskis, Albertz, I. Ferguson, Wallace, Johansson.

Parma: Buffon, Bennarivo, Sartor, Baggio, Crespo, Veron, Stanic, Boghossain, Cannavaro, Balbo, Thuram.

Referee: A Sars (France).