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| NOVO ANXIOUS FOR UEFA WIN |
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| Š Carlo Ramos 2004 csmaritimo@yahoo.co.uk "Viva Marítimo Online" is 100% unofficial and as a result the views expressed throughout this website do not reflect or effect those of CS Marítimo or Marítimo da Madeira S.A.D. |
| Rangers striker Nacho Novo is desperate to fire his side into the group stages of the UEFA Cup to banish the memory of his disallowed Champions League "goal".
The Spaniard thought his strike had put Rangers ahead against CSKA Moscow in their Champions League qualifier.
But the referee ruled the goal out for an earlier foul on Novo. "I am very angry about that decision because if the goal was allowed to stand it could have changed the game for us," he told the Rangers News. "Now we are out of the Champions League so we have to make sure we qualify for the group stage of the UEFA Cup." "We have two very important games against Marítimo and we have to make sure we beat them. |
| Wednesday 15 September 2004 |
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| For me it will be great to play in Europe again, any player wants to do that, but it is more important for the club to get through." "I scored in Moscow and at Ibrox in the second leg, although it didn't count, so hopefully I can make up for that by finding the back of the net again. I would like three goals this time!" Marítimo defender Mitchell van der Gaag insists that his gratitude to Rangers manager Alex McLeish will be forgotten when the teams take the field on Thursday. McLeish signed central defender Mitchell van der Gaag for Motherwell more than 10 years ago. "As a central defender, I learned a lot from McLeish and I think he learned a lot as manager at a club like Motherwell, as some of the times were very difficult," said Van der Gaag. "At the end there was no money and all the good players were leaving but he always kept his calm and I learned a lot from him. "The football world is small. It's funny that I now play on a small island and we are only in Europe for the fifth time, yet we get drawn to play against Rangers and against my former manager. "Maybe McLeish won't recognise me. I had a lot of hair back then but it's all gone now!" BBC Sport (www.bbc.co.uk/football) Discuss this story and others at the CS Marítimo Online forums - www.csmaritimo-online.com. |