Rangers boss Walter Smith maintained he never felt his team were out of the running in their UEFA Cup tie despite relying on Nacho Novo's dramatic 81st-minute equaliser to secure an away goals victory over Panathinaikos in Athens.
Spanish striker Novo pounced on a loose ball to slot home the precious goal which hardly seemed likely after Ioannis Goumos had given the Greeks the advantage with a thunderous first-half strike from long range.
Rangers played second fiddle to their hosts for much of the match but the Greek side seemed to fade in the closing stages.
"It was a very tough game. I think Panathinaikos were the better side in the first half," said Smith. "They were sharper than us, passed the ball around really well and created a few chances.
"We improved in the second half though after a dodgy spell at the start and then as the game went on I felt that we would get something. We were always in the tie at 1-0 down.
"Our keeper Alan McGregor made some good saves in the first half but as the game went on I felt that if we kept going then chances would come and that proved to be the case."
Smith conceded that his players, who are challenging for honours on for fronts, were below-par for long spells but was delighted to see Novo, who came in for heavy criticism after missing several chances in the goalless first leg at Ibrox, net the crucial goal to send the Gers through on away goals.
"I'm really pleased for him," Smith said. "He took a lot of criticism after missing chances in the first leg but he always keeps going.
"Our best chances seem to have fallen to him in both matches and I'm happy that he got the goal. He deserves it for the hard work he puts in and for getting into the positions he does."
With the prospect of facing Bundesliga side Werder Bremen in the next round, Smith accepted that Rangers would have to improve, but he preferred to focus on enjoying this win over Jose Peseiro's Pana.
"There are a lot of games to play but I want my players to just enjoy this one at the moment," added Smith. "We have a lot of time over the next few weeks to prepare for the big matches coming up in the cups. It is going to be a difficult challenge playing Werder, they are a quality side. We lost to Stuttgart who are a good German side so we can expect a real test from Bremen. We will have to be at our best to beat them."
Smith's opposite number Peseiro said: "I think we played well, it's very disappointing to be eliminated.
"We created enough good chances to win this game and qualify. We didn't deserve to lose and go out of the competition
"I was satisfied with the quality of the match and my players gave their all. I believe that over the two legs Panathinaikos showed they are a better team than Rangers.
"We are very sad to go out as we wanted to go far in this competition. We have to turn our attention to the championship though and forget about this because I believe we can win the league. It will not be easy, but we can do it."
Rangers played second fiddle to their hosts for much of the match but the Greek side seemed to fade in the closing stages.
"It was a very tough game. I think Panathinaikos were the better side in the first half," said Smith. "They were sharper than us, passed the ball around really well and created a few chances.
"We improved in the second half though after a dodgy spell at the start and then as the game went on I felt that we would get something. We were always in the tie at 1-0 down.
"Our keeper Alan McGregor made some good saves in the first half but as the game went on I felt that if we kept going then chances would come and that proved to be the case."
Smith conceded that his players, who are challenging for honours on for fronts, were below-par for long spells but was delighted to see Novo, who came in for heavy criticism after missing several chances in the goalless first leg at Ibrox, net the crucial goal to send the Gers through on away goals.
"I'm really pleased for him," Smith said. "He took a lot of criticism after missing chances in the first leg but he always keeps going.
"Our best chances seem to have fallen to him in both matches and I'm happy that he got the goal. He deserves it for the hard work he puts in and for getting into the positions he does."
With the prospect of facing Bundesliga side Werder Bremen in the next round, Smith accepted that Rangers would have to improve, but he preferred to focus on enjoying this win over Jose Peseiro's Pana.
"There are a lot of games to play but I want my players to just enjoy this one at the moment," added Smith. "We have a lot of time over the next few weeks to prepare for the big matches coming up in the cups. It is going to be a difficult challenge playing Werder, they are a quality side. We lost to Stuttgart who are a good German side so we can expect a real test from Bremen. We will have to be at our best to beat them."
Smith's opposite number Peseiro said: "I think we played well, it's very disappointing to be eliminated.
"We created enough good chances to win this game and qualify. We didn't deserve to lose and go out of the competition
"I was satisfied with the quality of the match and my players gave their all. I believe that over the two legs Panathinaikos showed they are a better team than Rangers.
"We are very sad to go out as we wanted to go far in this competition. We have to turn our attention to the championship though and forget about this because I believe we can win the league. It will not be easy, but we can do it."
Copyright (c) Press Association
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