Dundee are the only Scottish team to have beaten Rangers this season over 90
minutes, but in just half that time at Dens Park they were made to endure a
savage and destructive backlash.
Rod Wallace led the way with a hat-trick as Rangers ripped Dundee apart to
lead 6-1 at half-time and emphatically redress the November 28 2-1 Ibrox loss to
the same opposition.
It was a revenge mission of the highest order as Wallace opened the scoring on
75 seconds with Tony Vidmar doubling Rangers' advantage ahead of Steven Tweed
pulling a goal back on the half-hour.
However four goals in the 15 minutes before the interval left Dundee reeling
as Wallace completed a 33-minute hat-trick then Jorg Albertz and Seb Rozental
added their names to the scoresheet.
Dundee stemmed the tide in the second-half, but just as it looked as if
Rangers had finished scoring, Tweed obliged for them at the wrong end heading in
an own goal for 7-1 - though Vidmar may claim it.
Rangers might have been depleted yet their makeshift side was always too
strong for Dundee, who must now be considered in serious relegation danger with
only one home league win this term.
Celtic are 11 points adrift of Rangers at the SPL summit, but will be
encouraged their game in hand is also against Dundee at Parkhead on Wednesday
night after this woeful display.
Chilean international Rozental made his first start since his return from a
loan spell at former club Universidad Catolica in an attack which saw no place
for fit again Marco Negri.
Without first choice centre-back pairing there was an unfamiliar look to
Rangers' backline too, Scott Wilson earning a rare chance and Tugay Kerimoglu
made his first league start in midfield.
The Turkish international was joined there by Claudio Reyna, back from Gold
Cup duty with America, while Dundee surprisingly dropped Steven Boyack as Frank
Van Eijs was recalled.
Dundee were boosted by the return of keeper Robert Douglas from injury, but
his first act was to pick the ball from the back of the net as Rangers launched
the goals glut after 75 seconds.
Giovanni Van Bronckhorst's threaded pass set up Wallace for a shooting chance
and he fired the ball low past Douglas to set the tone for Rangers right from
the outset.
Rangers were firmly in control in the opening exchanges, Arthur Numan flicking
a shot just wide with the outside of his foot, and Willie Falconer's half-volley
was a rare Dundee riposte.
However on 21 minutes Dundee created something out of nothing when James Grady
cut inside Numan only for Stefan Klos' superb one-handed stop to deny a
goalward-bound shot.
Given he had made the chance himself it would be unfair to criticise the
finish, but Dundee were punished just two minutes later when Rangers doubled
their tally.
Andrei Kanchelskis' corner from the left saw Vidmar the first to react with a
glancing header from close range which looked to spell the end for Dundee.
But just five minutes later the home team pulled a goal back when Hugh
Robertson's deep cross was headed back across goal by Lee Sharp for Tweed to nod
into the net from barely a yard.
On another night it might have signalled a revival, but Rangers were
relentless and after Klos denied a Willie Miller angled drive they went up a
gear in style.
On the half-hour Rozental trickery on the right fed a Van Bronckhorst run and
his instant pass found Wallace, who tapped in from close range despite protests
for offside.
A mere three minutes later and it was 4-1 to Rangers in route one manner as a
huge kick from keeper Klos caught the wind and set up Wallace for another run at
Douglas.
The Dundee keeper was slow to advance from his goal and Wallace nipped in
front of him to clip the ball above his reach and into the net to complete a
33-minute hat-trick.
Albertz tested his range on 36 minutes with a fizzing effort just over then
went one better with his next attempt, a swerving 25-yard strike which beat the
hapless Douglas.
Right on half-time Rangers made it 6-1 when Wallace turned provider for
Rozental to stab in from close range - completing an unbelievable opening 45
minutes.
After the sheer intensity of the first-half flurry of goals the second 45
minutes was always likely to suffer by comparison and so it proved as Rangers
slowed the pace of proceedings.
Rozental troubled Douglas with a 20-yard free-kick which the keeper held low
to his right and on 54 minutes Numan played a one-two with Albertz before
shooting across the face of goal.
Dundee continued manfully to play for pride, Boyack replacing Van Eijs and
Sharp forcing Klos into another flying stop with a fierce angled drive, but the
damage had been done.
Tweed's 87th-minute own-goal under pressure from Vidmar after an Albertz cross
merely compounded Dundee's misery to complete an awesome Rangers performance
which will live long in the memory.
Teams:
Dundee: Douglas, Sharp, Wilkie, Smith, Tweed, Miller,
Robertson, Rae, Van Eijs (Boyack 57), Grady, Falconer.
Subs Not Used: Langfield, Raeside, Annand, Bayne.
Booked: Robertson, Wilkie.
Goals: Tweed 28.
Rangers: Klos, Numan, Wilson, Vidmar, Van Bronckhorst, Albertz,
Reyna (Ross 76), Kanchelskis (McCann 71), Kerimoglu, Wallace,Rozental.
Subs Not Used: Charbonnier, Durie, Gibson.
Goals: Wallace 2, Vidmar 23, Wallace 30, 32, Albertz 38,
Rozental 45, Tweed 86 og.
Att: 9,297
Ref: Hugh Dallas (Scotland).
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