Rangers struggle against Montenegrin minnows

Two scrappy second half goals handed Rangers an unconvincing victory over Montenegro minnows FK Zeta in a Champions League second preliminary round first leg match at Ibrox here on Tuesday.

Two scrappy second half goals handed Rangers an unconvincing victory over Montenegro minnows FK Zeta in a Champions League second preliminary round first leg match at Ibrox here on Tuesday.

While the Scottish side dominated proceedings - and should have been ahead as early as the eighth second - it took two unusual goals from defender David Weir and midfielder Lee McCulloch to provide them with their first leg advantage.

Rangers manager Walter Smith would not have been best pleased with his side's performance.

To make matters worse defender Alan Hutton was sent-off early in the second-half and will miss next week's second leg.

Things should have got off to a flyer for the home side when McCulloch nicked in to intercept a slack pass back from the centre spot and squared the ball to Kris Boyd.

The Ibrox club's top goalscorer for the previous two seasons looked surprised to find himself clean through on goal and his weak, pulled shot from 16-yards struck the bottom of the post and bounced to safety.

French striker Jean-Claude Darcheville was next to shoot at the Zeta goal in the 13th minute, cutting inside and firing in a low right-foot effort from the corner of the penalty area which goalkeeper Sasa Ivanovic saved low to his left.

At this stage it appeared to be only a matter of time before Rangers broke the deadlock.

In the 19th minute Charlie Adam's powerful header, from Hutton's cross, required Ivanovic to tip over his crossbar at full-stretch.

After Rangers' French-Algerian Brahim Hemdani needlessly conceded a free-kick on the edge of his own penalty area in the 39th minute, Darko Markovic almost gave his side the lead with a powerful shot just wide.

Three minutes later the Montenegrins really should have silenced the 36,145 home support when Slaven Stjepanovic slid the ball into Bojan Ivanovic but with only Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor to beat he panicked and pulled his shot well wide.

Smith would have been furious with his side's first half performance and Adam was replaced with Spaniard Nacho Novo at the break.

In the 48th minute Boyd missed another glorious chance to put the home side in front when Barry Ferguson's shot was only parried by Ivanovic.

With the ball at his mercy Boyd somehow smashed the ball wildly over from six yards.

But in the 54th minute Rangers did finally take the lead.

Novo's cross from the right was only partially cleared and Weir attempted to lob the ball back into the danger area.

As Ivanovic rushed from his area to try and collect he collided with the incoming Darcheville and the ball bounced over him and into the empty net.

However, only five minutes later FK Zeta received a lifeline when Hutton was sent-off for two bookable offences.

Rangers though doubled their advantage in the 72nd minute with a goal just as strange as the first.

Ivanovic needlessly raced 16-yards from his line to try and collect Ferguson's deep cross from a free-kick but McCulloch reached the ball before him to nod into the unguarded net.