Hearts wins opener over Rangers
Two early goals enough to knock off Rangers' new faces
Posted: Sunday August 02, 1998 05:10 PM
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Rangers' Rod Wallace scored to cut the lead in half 28 minutes into the second half Steve Lindsell/Allsport |
EDINBURGH (CNN/SI) -- Rangers' hopes of an immediate return on its 23 million pound ($37 million) spending spree in the offseason were dashed when Hearts defeated it 2-1 on Sunday in the clubs' opening Scottish Premier League fixture.
The final score was a repeat of the result when the clubs last met, just 11 weeks ago, in the Scottish Cup Final and was a bitter blow for new Rangers coach Dick Advocaat who purchased eight players in the summer.
Glasgow rivals Celtic beat Dunfermline 5-0 on Saturday, thanks to a Craig Burley hat trick, to start its campaign to retain the title in fine style.
As in May's final, French striker Stephane Adam scored for Hearts in the sixth minute, and another goal 14 minutes later from Jim Hamilton left Rangers in dire trouble.
Rod Wallace struck back with just 28 minutes gone but despite fierce pressure from Rangers in the closing stages, Hearts held on to delight its home fans.
Rangers had hoped to put last season's disappointment behind it, when it finished without a trophy for the first time in 12 years. But Adam gave Hearts the start it needed.
He stabbed in a shot from five meters after Neil McCann's low cross was missed by Dutch World Cup defender Arthur Numan, making his league debut after joining from PSV Eindhoven.
Hamilton doubled the lead when McCann robbed Jonas Thern of the ball and supplied the perfect pass, which his striker finished off with a low left-foot shot.
Wallace, one of Advocaat's signings, drilled in a right-foot shot after Dutch international Giovanni van Bronckhorst's mishit shot ran into his path.
But even though Rangers brought on its record signing Andrei Kanchelskis, whose 5.5 million purchase from Fiorentina last month broke the Scottish transfer record, it failed to carve out a real chance.
Hearts' cup final victory gave it its first silverware in 36 years but this result gives manager Jim Jefferies and the 18,000 capacity crowd at Tynecastle genuine optimism for the title.
It finished third last season after leading for much of the race but could never find that elusive victory over either Celtic or Rangers in the league. Now it has managed it on the first attempt this season.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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