Arsenal give Rangers a timely lesson for Europe

The Rangers defender Craig Moore admitted his side had been handed a footballing lesson by Arsenal in their 3-0 defeat at Ibrox on Tuesday. Arsène Wenger's FA Cup holders strolled to victory thanks to goals from Edu, Lauren and Sol Campbell.

Lauren's goal came from the penalty spot and he passed up a chance to make the margin even greater when Stefan Klos saved another spot-kick.

Rangers, who begin their League campaign at home to Kilmarnock on Saturday, started strongly but faded rapidly once they fell behind to Edu's heavily-deflected effort just after the half-hour mark.

"For 70 minutes we probably held our own," Moore said. "But for the last 20 it was men against boys. They were just playing keep-ball and we were chasing shadows. In the second half we definitely let ourselves down."

Moore was guilty of conceding the second penalty when he kicked out at Freddie Ljungberg in the box. "I'm disappointed and it shouldn't have happened," he said. "But it was frustration on my behalf."

The Australia international also insisted the exercise had been a worthwhile one as it highlighted areas that needed strengthening.

"I'm delighted that we have played opposition like that because it shows everybody how much further we need to go before we can even consider ourselves a decent team in Europe," he said.

Moore will not have long to wait before Rangers test their credentials on the continent as a Champions' League qualifier, almost certainly with FC Copenhagen, is imminent.

The Rangers manager, Alex McLeish, has moved to sign two defenders before the deadline, the Italian left-back Paolo Vanoli and former Manchester United and Blackburn centre-half Henning Berg.

The latter has agreed a one-year deal and both players were introduced before kick-off, although neither played. They were due for a run-out against a Falkirk side behind closed doors yesterday.

It is likely that Moore will be asked to establish a central defensive partnership with the veteran Norwegian Berg, who is short on match fitness.

"It's a position the gaffer has been looking at," Moore said. "[Berg] is a very experienced player who has played at the highest level. I'm sure he will offer a lot to the team. I don't know how far he is fitness-wise and I think that will be the only problem."

Vanoli revealed he turned down Tottenham and Portsmouth to sign for Rangers. The left-back, who once scored in a Uefa Cup final, consulted compatriot Lorenzo Amoruso, who left Ibrox for Blackburn last month.

"When my agent told me Rangers were interested, I knew it would be a great move," Vanoli said. "I spoke many times with Lorenzo and he told me all about his experience in Glasgow.

"I had an option to sign for Portsmouth or Tottenham but chose Rangers for a number of reasons. Lorenzo made it clear to me that Rangers are a great club with great fans."

The 30-year-old played against Rangers twice while at Parma, when Dick Advocaat's side pipped the Italians to reach the Champions' League in 1999.