BLUES IN THE FINAL STRETCH; Euro dream is still alive UEFA CUP SEMI-FINAL: RANGERS 0 FIORENTINA 0, FROM IBROX STADIUM.

Byline: BY IAIN CAMPBELL 

RANGERS will look to Barry Ferguson and Kevin Thomson to fulfil their "week of destiny" in Florence next Thursday.

The quadruple-seeking Ibrox side kept the clean sheet Walter Smith insisted was crucial against a classy Fiorentina side last night but never looked like grabbing the goal which would have given them the advantage.

Without their suspended skipper and playmaker, Rangers kept their powder dry by playing a percentage game guaranteed to keep their hopes alive for the trip to Italy.

The goalless outcome hardly upset the Italians either and the real battle will come in Tuscany.

While a packed Ibrox crowd showed clear signs of frustration at times, they applauded their makeshift side off the pitch believing in the strategy which has seen Rangers pull off important results in Athens and Lisbon in previous rounds after first leg stalemates.

It said much for the attitude of the two sides that neither keeper was required to make a real save over the 90 minutes though it is likely to be an entirely different story next week with Thomson and Ferguson back in the fold.

Rangers take on Celtic on Sunday safe in the knowledge that, for the moment, everything remains possible in the week Smith described as the "biggest" of his career.

The atmosphere as the match - started was everything Smith and his players hoped for but with both sides happy to engage in a Mexican stand-off the noise levels fell away dramatically.

It was the Italians who were first to start sounding out their hosts, Dane Martin Jorgensen coming forward in classic wing-back style before easing the pressure by sending a cross well over Neil Alexander's goal. On the other side Massimo Gobbi tried a similar manoeuvre - again without success.

Adrian Mutu's 12th minute shot scarcely troubled Alexander but there was a real scare seconds later as Carlos Cuellar was forced to clear the ball away from Giampaolo Pazzini right in front of goal.

Fiorentina's domination was not impressing the natives but some relief came from a familiar source, Jean-Claude Darcheville brilliantly spinning Alessandro Gamberini and sprinting towards goal in the same manner as he had done against Stuttgart at the start of the club's European adventure.

This time though he was crowded out and was unable to seriously trouble countryman Sebastien Frey with his shot.

Darcheville caused the Serie A side more problems midway through the first half, threatening a copycat break from his own half, only to be hauled down by Mario Santana who was yellow carded for his trouble.

Mutu threatened real danger just after the half hour but Greek referee Kyros Vassaras judged that the Romanian had used his hand to propel the ball towards goal, though Alexander had pushed it away in any case.

The keeper was forced to dive at Santana's feet five minutes before halftime as the Italians threatened again but the biggest concern was created by Cuellar and the goalie becoming entangled as they cleared.

The sense of history was heightened further when the six survivors from the Rangers side which played Fiorentina in the 1961 Cup Winners Cup final were paraded at half-time.

The Italians had won on that occasion but although they dominated the early minutes of the second half Kirk Broadfoot's chip for Nacho Novo was just a yard too long or the Spaniard would surely have scored.

That near thing seemed to energise Rangers with Novo and Steve Davis teaming up to create problems for the red-shirted Italian defence. The striker again threatened when he sprinted on to a quickly taken Broadfoot free kick to shoot narrowly wide.

While the home crowd were becoming restless by the lack of goals they were relieved when Alexander pulled off a decent diving save from a Mutu drive following a tapped free kick.

Rangers: Alexander 7, Broadfoot 6, Weir 7, Cuellar 7, Papac 6, Novo 7 (Buffel 60), Hemdani 6, Dailly 5, Davis 7, Whittaker 6, Darcheville 6 (Cousin 60)

Fiorentina: Frey 6, Jorgensen 7, Gamberini 6, Ujfalusi 6, Gobbi 7, Kuzmanovic 7, Liverani 6, Montolivo 6, Santana 6, Pazzini 7 (Vieri 81), Mutu 6

CAPTION(S):

FLYING HIGH Jean Claude Darcheville escapes the Fiorentina defence; OUCH! Darcheville goes down injured. Inset, Thomas Buffel