Greek tragedy for Rangers as they concede late equaliser

Panathinaikos 1 Rangers 1

But the result was also a setback for the Scottish champions as they allowed the Greeks, who played the last half hour with 10 men, a late equaliser.

With just three minutes remaining, substitute Pantelis Konstantinidis was able to cancel out Emerson's first goal for Rangers and denying them their first win in Greece.

The comeback was all the more remarkable given that Ioannis Goumas had managed to get himself sent off within 12 minutes of coming on at half time.

Nevertheless, Alex McLeish's side will now go into a Battle of Britain double-header with Sir Alex Ferguson and his Premiership title holders a single point ahead following United's defeat in Stuttgart.

The game was also marred by missiles being thrown onto the pitch by home fans, with referee Arturo Ibanez often a target.

Rangers had been the better side in the first half and dominated from the off with Shota Arveladze and Michael Mols effective together up front. In the 35th minute a pass from makeshift right-back Zura Khizanishvili sent Nuno Capucho away down the right.

Correctly, the flag stayed down and when the Portuguese winger squared the ball across goal, Emerson was there to divert the ball over the line despite the efforts of Giorgos Seitaridis.

The Greek may well have got a final touch but the goal belonged to the Brazilian his first for his new club. In the second half Goumas was booked for felling Peter Lovenkrands and was shown a second yellow in the 57th for pulling Arveladze back. Paolo Vanoli and Christian Nerlinger replaced Lovenkrands and Arveladze as the minutes ticked away but Rangers' plan to hold on to what they had got did not work.

Papadopoulos crossed for the right for fellow replacement Konstantinidis, who had replaced Joel Epalle in the 78th minute, to head past Klos from close range.

PANATHINAIKOS: Chalkias, Seitaridis, Maurice, Kirgiakos (Goumas 45), Fyssas, Michaelsen, Maric, Epalle (Konstantinidis 79), Zutautas, Vlaovic (Papadopoulos 63), Konstantinou.

RANGERS: Klos, Khizanishvili, Moore, Berg, Ball, Capucho, Arteta, Emerson, Lovenkrands (Vanoli 76), Mols, Arveladze (Nerlinger 85).

Referee: Arturo Dauden Ibanez (Spain).