Artmedia Bratislava 2 Rangers 2

Rangers fail to break Artmedia's grip

The Rangers manager Alex McLeish was still upbeat despite his side drawing with Artmedia for the second time in the group. "Three points would have given us a marvellous chance to progress, but we still have a great opportunity," said the manager, whose future has been questioned. "I was also under pressure last year and people said I was one result away from losing my job, but I would like to think my job at Rangers is not finished and I have more to do and more to achieve."

McLeish's side were given a fantastic start after just three minutes. A Brahim Hemdani free-kick from 20 yards was met by the head of Sotiris Kyrgiakos, who set up Dado Prso and the Croat could not miss from a yard out.

But Rangers' joy was short-lived as Artmedia were back on level terms within five minutes. A Blazej Vascak corner sparked a scramble in the box and the ball eventually broke to Balazs Borbely, who stabbed home from close-range.

Rangers were back in the lead again a minute before the break. Fernando Ricksen played a short corner to Prso, who squeezed the ball into the path of Steven Thompson to bullet home a header at the back post.

McLeish's men, though, were helpless to deny their hosts another equaliser after 59 minutes. Ronald Waterreus was caught well off his line, with only Kyrgiakos protecting the goal and when the ball broke to Kozak, he found the net with a thunderous drive.

Peter Lovenkrands could have been Rangers' hero with 10 minutes to go when he met a Ricksen cross only to send his downward header flashing past the post.

Artmedia Bratislava (4-4-2): Cobej; Petras, Debnar, Durica, Urbanek; Vascak (Tchur, 83), Kozak, Borbely, Fodrek; Obzera, Hartig (Halenar, 73). Substitutes not used: Kamenar, Stano, Mikulic, Konecny, Burak.

Rangers (4-4-2): Waterreus; Hutton, Kyrgiakos, Rodriguez, Bernard (Murray, 90); Ricksen, Ferguson, Hemdani, Lovenkrands; Thompson (Jeffers, 70), Prso. Substitutes not used: Klos, Andrews, A Rae, Burke, Namouchi.

Referee: F Meyer (Germany).