A GOAL down, but protecting a narrow aggregate lead, Rangers were rocking in the Weser-Stadion as Werder Bremen relentlessly bombarded their penalty box in search of the goal that would drag them level and force extra-time. The visitors would surely not survive such a setback given the way the game had gone that evening.
A place in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup was tantalisingly close, but as the clock ticked agonisingly on to 85 minutes, it seemed that the Germans had finally breached the Scottish side’s stoic resistance.
A cross into the area was slashed at by Bremen striker Aaron Hunt, but fell kindly into the path of Boubacar Sanogo just yards from goal to apply the finishing touch.
Somehow though, Rangers keeper Allan McGregor scrambled across to claw the ball on to the crossbar, and after a moment of suspended motion as players from both sides stood in disbelief, the Rangers defence hacked the ball clear and held on for a famous victory.
An integral part of that defence was Bosnian Sasa Papac, pictured right, who to this day, can scarcely believe what he witnessed that night in north-west Germany. He says though that even a save such as that one shouldn’t have been a surprise given the talent his former team-mate possessed, and that is why he was delighted to see the keeper making an emotional return to Ibrox this week at the age of 36.
Papac believes that McGregor’s ability, married to his winning mentality, could be vital components of any success that Steven Gerrard ultimately has during his first season in charge at Rangers.
“I was delighted to see that news,” said Papac. “It’s a great move for Allan, and also for the club as well.
“I remember that save well, and it came at such an important time. It was vital, and it was an incredible stop.
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“It wasn’t only in this game though that he was important for us as a team. He was so integral to us winning leagues and cups for years. He is a great character for the team too. Rangers have missed that sort of character for the last couple of years, Scots with real ability who also know about the history of Rangers and what it means to play for the club. It’s not easy to put a winning mentality into a changing room,
and you need people like Allan to maintain that day-in, day-out.
“With Steven Gerrard coming in, he will have that mentality too, and you can see that Rangers are building towards something again. I think that the signing of Allan is a great move by Steven.”
The win over Werder Bremen propelled Rangers on to the UEFA Cup final in 2008 of course, which McGregor missed through injury. The 10th anniversary of their ultimate defeat to Zenit in Manchester ticked
by during the week, a milestone that Papac can barely believe has come around already.
“Time really does fly,” he said.
“I watched Atletico Madrid beat Marseille the other night and I can’t quite believe that I played in a game like that with Rangers.
“It seems like yesterday, and I have unbelievable memories of that night and that team. I’ve spoken about how important Allan was, but in truth, the whole team played together and it wasn’t really about individuals at all.
“We had that individual quality, but everything we did was for each other and for the team. We were playing against fantastic teams with great
players, and we had to stick together to get so far.”
The fact that a decade has passed since that run and McGregor is still playing at the top of his game is not a surprise to Papac, himself now just 38.
“You see it more and more now that goalkeepers peak after 30, because they have that experience,” he said. “Allan always had a special mentality, and didn’t make a lot of mistakes in any case, so it is no surprise to see him doing just as well – if not better – than he ever has. I think he will be a great player for Rangers for the next two years, and maybe beyond that too.”
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