RANGERS got their UEFA Cup campaign off to the best possible start by beating Amica Wronki 5-0 in their opening Group F match in Poland tonight.
Rangers went in to tonight’s game with an abundance of confidence having won their last six matches without conceding a goal but McLeish will have warned his players not to underestimate their Polish opponents.
Big Eck made two changes to the side that started against Motherwell with Peter Lovenkrands playing on the left wing and Shota Arveladze just in front of Fernando Ricksen and Bob Malcolm in the centre of a five-man midfield.
The match started at a frantic pace and the home side had the best of the chances in the opening stages.
After only 2 minutes, experienced striker Jacek Dembinski picked the ball up on the right and cut it back to midfielder Mateusz Bartczak who took it in his stride before hitting a low shot past Stefan Klos’ left-hand post.
Dembinski then had a chance himself five minutes later but he could only hit his low shot in to the side netting.
Although Amica are one of the youngest team’s in European football -founded in 1992 – they showed tonight that they have a good combination of flair and experience in their side.
Many people believed that Rangers were the overwhelming favourites to win this match but it was evident after only 15 minutes that attacking players such as Karol Gregorek, Pawel Kryszalowicz, and Dembinski were going to be a real handful for the Gers’ backline.
However, after a shake start to the match, the Rangers players started to find their feet and took the lead after 17 minutes.
Shota Arveladze skipped past two players before hitting a shot that deflected off Dado Prso in to the path of Lovenkrands. The Dane then steadied himself before unleashing a fierce left-foot shot across keeper Malarz and in to the net.
The goal seemed to stun the Amica players and Rangers dominated the play for the following quarter of an hour but could not extend their lead. The closest they came was when Prso connected with an excellent Vignal cross but his header was well wide of goal.
Amica continued to attack with purpose and had a couple of chances to get a goal back prior to half-time.
Marcin Burkhadt was one on one with Stefan Klos but Marvin Andrews showed his pace and produced a magnificent tackle just when the midfielder was going to pull the trigger. The impressive Bartczak then had a header well saved by Klos.
The first-half finished with Rangers in the lead and Alex McLeish will have asked his players for more of the same in the second period.
Rangers started in a similar positive fashion with Chris Burke becoming increasingly influential. The flame-haired winger had the first chance of the second-half but his right-foot shot was well blocked.
Dado Prso then had the ball in the back of the net after powerfully heading a great Vignal cross past Malarz. The referee, however, agreed with his linesman that the Croatian was off-side.
Alex McLeish decided to replace goalscorer Peter Lovenkrands with Nacho Novo after 55 minutes and his decision was inspired as the Spaniard doubled the Gers lead only a minute later.
Dado Prso did well to lay the ball back Novo on the edge of the box who blasted a low drive beyond the helpless keeper.
Rangers were now in command and extended their lead on 68 minutes when the ball broke to Fernando Ricksen on the edge of the box and his low shot trundled past the keeper in to the net.
McLeish made a further change when he replaced Dado Prso with Steven Thompson and Rangers the finished the game off as a contest when Arveladze was tripped inside the box and the referee awarded the penalty.
Arveladze himself stepped up and calmly placed the ball in to the roof of the net.
Rangers could now enjoy the remaining 15 minutes of the game and kept possession as if it was a training match.
McLeish made one further change to their team when Namouchi replaced Arveladze on 81 minutes but by that stage the Light Blues already had three crucial UEFA Cup points in the bag.
Steven Thompson put the icing o the cake on 88 minutes when he notched Rangers fifth with a close-range header after Burke had caught the Polish defence sleeping on the job.
Alex McLeish will have been rightly proud of his side’s five-star performance tonight and will now be looking forward to the visit of Dundee United at Ibrox this Sunday.
RANGERS: Klos, Khizanishvili, Andrews, Boumsong, Vignal, Ricksen, Malcolm, Arveladze (Namouchi 81), Lovenkrands (Novo 55), Prso (Thompson 71), Burke
Subs Not Used: Smith, Hughes, Ball, McLean
AMICA WRONKI: Malarz, Skrzypek, Stasiak, Bieniuk, Dudka, Kucharski (Sobocinski 46), Burkhardt (Kowalczyk 66), Bartczak, Kryszalowicz, Dembinski, Gregorek (Kikut 58)
Subs Not Used: Mielcarz, Dziewicki, Wojtkowiak, Burkhardt
Referee: Santiago Rodriguez