/world sport
(CNN) -- Rangers' Champions League hopes were left hanging in the balance after they were held to a 0-0 draw by FBK Kaunas in the second qualifying round first leg at Ibrox.
Jean-Claude Darcheville was among those to miss out for Rangers as they were held 0-0 by Kaunas.
Walter Smith's men now face a tense 90 minutes next Tuesday when they travel to Lithuania knowing they have to score a goal to take another step closer to joining rivals Celtic in the lucrative group stages.
Last season saw Rangers face an epic run of 19 European matches -- but they are in real danger of crashing out of Europe at the first hurdle this time around unless they show an improvement in the second leg.
The absence of injured captain Barry Ferguson in midfield was clearly felt, while Carlos Cuellar was also missed in the heart of the defense.
Former Celtic striker Kenny Miller, who was booed by Rangers fans on his debut, missed the best chance of the first half.
Miller pounced on a Charlie Adam cross and attempted to flick into the gaping goal with goalkeeper Marian Kello beaten, only to watch in disbelief as defender Tomas Kancelskis hooked off the line.
Lee McCulloch then squandered another couple of chances for the home side as the crowd began to grow nervous, before Kancelskis came to the rescue of Kaunas again.
This time Miller was the provider, slipping a lovely ball through to Jean-Claude Darcheville to release the Frenchman through on goal. But his finish was poor and lacked power and Kancelskis was able to stick a leg out and divert the effort out of play.
Rangers continued to huff and puff in the second half and, with time almost up, defender David Weir saw a close-range effort cleared off the line by substitute Nukri Manchkhava -- with the Ibrox side knowing they now have it all to do in Kaunas.
In other matches, Czechs Sparta Prague look to have one foot in the third qualifying round after a late Jiri Kladrubsky goal gave them a 1-0 win at Moldovan side Sheriff.
Brazilian veteran Roberto Carlos scored one of the goals to help Fenerbahce defeat MTK Budapest 2-0.
Swedish side Gothenburg and Basel of Switzerland are locked together at 1-1, while Anorthosis of Cyprus thrashed Rapid Vienna 3-0.
Perhaps the biggest shock was in Brussels, where Belgian giants Anderlecht were beaten 2-1 at home by BATE Borisov of Belarus.
| Most Viewed | Most Emailed |
From the Blogs: 
Sit tight, we're getting to the good stuff
