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Saturday, 30 September, 2000, 19:55 GMT 20:55 UK
Too little too late for Rangers
By BBC Sport Online's Clive Lindsay
Galatasaray 3-2 Rangers
Rangers' Champions League chances were put back in the melting pot after a tortuous 20 minutes in the hell of the Ali Sami Yen Stadium.
The Scottish champions went into the game in Istanbul hoping for a victory that would virtually ensure qualification from Group D.
By half-time, it was not just the lashing rain that had dampened the spirits of the normally excitable Galatasaray support.
However, three goals in a 20-minutes spell proved to be their downfall against the Turkish champions and two late goals were not enough to save the Scots from defeat.
Contrary to pre-match reports, there had been no surprises in the Rangers line-up.
Suggestions that striker Marco Negri was to come in from the cold proved to be a red herring and the Italian was not even on the bench.
Goalkeeper Stefan Klos played from the start, despite suffering from a lingering ankle injury, while striker Michael Mols started the game and the other injury doubt, Jorg Albertz, was named as a substitute.
Former Turkish international Tugay continued at sweeper, where the midfielder was a success against Monaco the previous Wednesday.
Galatasaray were without the influential Gheorghe Hagi and Suat Kaya, who are both suspended, plus the injured Capone and Okan Burar.
Jardel, the Brazilian striker who would have been a Rangers player four years ago had he been granted a work permit, just failed to connect at the back post after 12 minutes, but Galatasaray appeared to be missing playmaker Hagi in the early stages.
Rangers were comfortably containing the side that Rangers manager Dick Advocaat still regards as group favourites and it was the visitors who created the first good chance.
Full-back Arthur Numan then just failed to get enough on a chip shot to the back post after the ball deflected to him on the edge of the box.
The Turks needed Rangers to provide them with their best chance of the opening 45 minutes.
Just before the break, defender Lorenzo Amoruso sliced an attempted clearance and forced Klos into a superb save, pushing the ball on to the bar, after which Jardel failed to capitalise on the loose ball.
However, it did not take Galatasaray long to create - and convert - their own chances after half-time.
Almost immediately, Emre Belozoglu broke clear and Klos again blocked his shot brilliantly and Bert Konterman cleared with two forwards lurking.
The breakthrough finally came six minutes into the half when Claudio Reyna was caught out by a short corner and Ergun's cross found the unmarked Akin Bulent, whose volley from 12 yards flew into the top corner of the net.
Six minutes later, it was two when Hakan Unsal picked the ball up 22 yards out and his stunning chip-cum-shot with the outside of foot curled away from Klos and into the same top corner.
Rangers pulled off the ineffectual Mols and Johnston, but the introduction of Andrei Kanchelskis and Billy Dodds had no immediate effect as Galatasaray went three up with 20 minutes left.
As Rangers pushed forward, Jardel was found in acres of space 20 yards out by a cross-field pass from Umit and the Brazilian's well-controlled volley flew low into the far corner.
Two minutes later, though, Rangers were back in the game when Numan's cross found Kanchelskis and the former Russian international's header from eight yards deflected off a defender and into the net.
That spurred Rangers on and Advocaat must have pondered whether his side should have been more positive from the start as they suddenly created a string of chances.
A clever turn but weak shot on the edge of the box from Dodds was held by Taffarel, then the Scotland striker and Kanchelskis just could not force the ball over the line during a virtual scrum in the six-yard box.
A van Bronckhorst shot and a Dodds header again brought the Brazilian goalkeeper into the action, then another drive from the Dutch midfielder struck the face of the post.
Finally, van Bronckhorst was brought down on the edge of the box and dusted himself down before driving a thunderbolt of a free-kick into the top corner.
However, it was virtually the last kick of the ball and for Rangers it was just too little too late. The Scots are now second in the group, just behind Galatasaray on goal difference.
Now they must aim for revenge when the Turks visit Ibrox, but the Scots must do without their captain, Amoruso, after he picked up his second yellow card of the tournament.
Galatasaray: Taffarel, K. Bulent, Popescu, B. Emre, Jardel, Hasan, Akyel, Davala, A. Bulent, Hakan, Penbe.
Subs: Inan, Ahmet, Aykut, Faruk, A. Emre, Marcio.
Rangers: Klos, Reyna, Konterman, Tugay, Amoruso, van Bronckhorst, Ferguson, Numan, Johnston, de Boer, Mols.
Subs: Brown, Ricksen, Kanchelskis, Albertz, Dodds, McCann, Vidmar.
Referee: Perluigi Collina (Italy).
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