Rangers reach lucrative group draw

BELGRADE, Serbia (Reuters) -- Rangers muscled their way into the Champions League group stage after a 0-0 draw at Red Star Belgrade on Tuesday gave them a 1-0 aggregate win over the Serbian side.

Resolute and at times desperate defending saw Rangers through after they soaked up intense pressure in the first half and stayed on level terms thanks to a string of fine saves from Allan McGregor.

The keeper denied Red Star's Montenegro playmaker Igor Burzanovic three times and also kept out a fierce shot by Serbia winger Ognjen Koroman from 20 meters after the break.

Rangers failed to create anything up front in the first half as their defensive 4-5-1 formation struggled to find the supply routes to lone striker Jean-Claude Darcheville.

But they looked sharper after the break and Darcheville fired just wide of the far post on the hour while Lee McCullough saw his shot trickle away for a corner several minutes later after the ball had crept through the keeper's hands.

The visitors held on in the closing stages with some ease as Red Star launched waves of aimless attacks, their long-ball strategy paying no dividends against a well-organized defense.

Rangers manager Walter Smith praised his team for "a brave performance under pressure.

"It's certainly a satisfying result because you don't know if the team can stand up to a situation like that," he told reporters.

"It was a great atmosphere but we weren't intimidated and we used it to our advantage. It's always good to see the players respond well under pressure.

"It's good to be in the Champions league because there are so many teams vying in the qualifiers for only a few places in the group stage."

Red Star counterpart Milorad Kosanovic rued his team's failure to reach the Champions League for the first time.

"We played our hearts out but it turned out that the last-minute goal we conceded in the first leg was a very costly mistake," he told reporters.

"It's a pity but we can't complain because we failed to take our chances and failed to score over the two legs."

"We faded away in the final 20 minutes but I am pleased with the overall performance because we played above our limits against a very good side."

Striker Tommaso Rocchi scored twice as Lazio came from behind to beat Dinamo Bucharest 3-1 and qualify for the Champions League group stage with a 4-2 aggregate victory.

Lazio, who fell behind to a Florin Bratu goal in the 27th minute, hit back in style in the second half of the third qualifying round tie.

Rocchi converted a penalty won by Simone del Nero after a foul by Valentin Nastase just two minutes after the re-start.

A neat back-heel by Rocchi then set up Goran Pandev from close range for Lazio's second in the 54th minute.

Rocchi scored his second of the night after being left unmarked in the area in the 65th minute, sealing what will be a money-spinning victory.

It was also a far cry from Lazio's disappointing first half, when Bratu proved too quick for injured Guglielmo Stendardo in a shoulder-to-shoulder 30-meter race to score.

Dinamo coach Mircea Rednic, whose side had been leading on the away goals rule before kickoff, told reporters: "We lost a match we had in our hands. Personal errors gifted Lazio the win."

After the tragic death of Sevilla's Antonio Puerta on Tuesday, three days after he collapsed on the pitch, the Spanish team's match against AEK Athens was postponed.

Sevilla will now defend their 2-0 lead in the second leg in the Greek capital on September 3.

The other 12 third qualifying round, second leg games will be played on Wednesday, with the winners going through to the draw for the group stage on Thursday. E-mail to a friend