#4m Mols shows he has the killer touch Dutch striker is different class, says Jefferies

Johnstone at Muirton.

Afterwards, they were a

chastened bunch as they were forced to admit that they could not match up to Rangers, who struck two goals in each half to avenge the opening-match defeat last season at the same venue.

This time round, from the fourteenth minute, when Claudio Reyna scored, there were few signs that they would be able to repeat that result.

All of it happened, too, against an Ibrox team which was missing the entire first-choice left flank, Arthur Numan, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, and Neil McCann, as well as their most expensive signing, Andrei Kanchelskis.

However, while the United States international team captain scored the opening goal - and also the closing one - the finest strike of the match came from Michael Mols with a magnificent goal as the game moved into first-half injury time. As Hearts' manager Jim Jefferies admitted afterwards, that was the killer for his team's hopes of staging a comeback.

At that point in the game, Hearts were having their best spell and, 10 minutes earlier,

Stefan Klos had made an acrobatic save from Stephane Adam as they searched for an equaliser.

However, as half-time approached Mols demonstrated why coach Dick Advocaat had paid #4m to bring him to Rangers. Rod Wallace headed a ball away inside his own box, it was picked up and moved on by Jorg Albertz. Then Barry

Ferguson released the Dutchman with a marvellous pass and he struck a vicious shot from an equally vicious angle into the net.

Afterwards he explained: ''I looked up across goal and did not see anyone there waiting for a pass and I saw the chance to shoot and I took it. I think maybe their goalkeeper expected me to cross the ball, so I surprised him.

''It was great to get the goal, of course, but I keep saying that the important thing for me is that the whole team is successful not me alone.

''Coming here to this match the other players had warned me that it would be one of the difficult games of the season and, of course, Hearts had won well against St Johnstone in the

opening match. However, when we scored I think that made it easier for us.

''The main thing for me is to establish myself at a major club like Rangers. That is what I want most of all.

''I think the understanding with the other players is getting better and better all the time. I feel I have settled well. I am in my own house now and that is going to help me even more.

''Naturally, it will be a different game on Wednesday night against Parma. We all know that. I have played against an

Italian team only once before. That was Napoli but they were not so strong then.''

Advocaat, rightly, was happy with his team's display and with his protege's goal. He said: ''It was special, but he is a special player who has good touch and who can score goals and hold the ball, too. I thought there were times when we might have scored more goals today. I was pleased and now I will be thinking about Parma.''

Mols could also count opposing manager Jefferies among his admirers. The Tynecastle man insisted: ''Michael Mols was

different class. He has great movement, good control and pace, and he finishes well too, as we saw today.

''I suppose that's what you get when you pay #4m for a player!''

Hearts' main threat against Rangers came from the giant

central defender Kevin James when he was pushed into the opposition penalty box for set- pieces, but at the back, James and his companions, Steven Pressley and Grant Murray, had a worrying time against Mols and Rod Wallace when he thrust forward to join the main attacker.

Then there were the midfield men, Reyna with his two goals and Albertz with a second-half strike from his favourite range.

Poor Jefferies was forced to admit: ''After the euphoria of our win at Perth last week this brought us back to earth. We might have got something in a

little spell at the end of the first half but we didn't play well enough. We had to be at our best against them and we were not there today.''

Craig Moore joined the Ibrox injury list with a hamstring

problem and that allowed Sergio Porrini the opportunity to join his countryman Lorenzo Amoruso in central defence, with Dariusz Adamczuk slotting in comfortably at right back.

Later, Advocaat had the luxury of being able to allow Ian

Ferguson and Gabriel Amato an outing as they took over from Reyna and Jonatan Johansson for the last quarter of an hour.

Johansson was booked for

persistent fouling in a game which produced few problems for referee John Rowbotham.

Next league matches: Rangers - Motherwell (h). Hearts -

Hibs (a).

qSCOTTISH Television have won the battle to secure live coverage of Rangers' Champions League qualifier against Parma at Ibrox on Wednesday.

The station faced competition from Channel Five for the first leg tie. The game will go out live to viewers of STV, Grampian, and Borders.

The match will now kick off at 8.05pm to accommodate the live coverage and the commentary will be by Archie MacPherson. Graeme Souness and Mark

Hateley will be in the studio

Quote

That was as good a

performance as I have ever seen from a Rangers team. I don't think they had one bad player. You just have to give them credit.

- Hearts' manager Jim Jefferies