Football: Albertz's strike rewards Advocaat

PSV Eindhoven 0 Rangers 1

RANGERS' GERMAN hit-man, Jorg Albertz, stepped up from the substitutes' bench last night to score a dramatic late winner and give his side a chance of progressing to the second stage of the Champions' League.

The German midfielder, who replaced the injured Claudio Reyna after 24 minutes, made the breakthrough with six minutes to go. It was just what the Scottish champions needed after losing to Valencia and then drawing with Bayern Munich last week.

No wonder Rangers' Dutch manager, Dick Advocaat, celebrated, for this was a famous victory on the ground where he had spent four years in charge of PSV. "It was a very exciting game," he said. "I am very satisfied and I still think it is an open group, with Bayern Munich and Valencia drawing."

The last time the Ibrox club won an away game at this level was in December 1992, when they defeated CSKA Moscow in their adopted German home of Bochum.

Rod Wallace was included in the starting line-up for the first time in five games after a hamstring problem. Surprisingly, though, Advocaat left out Albertz, who had scored twice against St Johnstone on Saturday, and recalled Neil McCann. However, the German soon replaced Reyna, whose hamstring injury may keep him out for six weeks.

Rangers had missed some good chances before Albertz scored in the 84th minute, cracking the ball home from 20 yards after Michael Mols had done well to beat Jan Heintze and cross from the right flank.

PSV Eindhoven: Waterreus; Dirkx, Heintze, Khokhlov, Van Nistelrooy, Nilis, Van der Doelen (Bruggink, 80), Rommedahl (Kolkka, 63), Nikiforov, Stinga (Bouma, 68), Wielaert. Substitutes not used: Lodewijks (gk), Fuchs, Iwan, Skerla.

Rangers: Charbonnier; Porrini, Moore, Amoruso, Numan, Ferguson, Van Bronckhorst, Reyna (Albertz, 24), McCann, Mols, Wallace. Substitutes not used: Niemi (gk), Kanchelskis, Vidmar, Amato, Hendry, Adamczuk.

Referee: A Frisk (Sweden).

Results and tables, page 31