Nervous Novo breathes sigh of relief
by Tom Kell, 02 May 2008
Nacho Novo admitted he was feeling the pressure on Thursday night before slotting the penalty that sent Rangers through to the Uefa Cup final.
The Gers played out 210 goalless minutes against Fiorentina in the semi-final before eventually booking a final date with Zenit St Petersburg thanks to a penalty shootout victory.
Walter Smith’s side looked to be struggling after skipper Barry Ferguson missed their first spot kick, but Fabio Liverani and Christian Vieri both failed to convert their chances to give Novo the task of scoring the decisive penalty.
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“It started off a little bit nervous and after that I was relaxed,” the Spaniard said on Setanta Sports News. “The goalkeeper moved so I put it in.
“We were a bit off our game but it doesn’t worry me. I just want to enjoy it with the boys and the fans because we’ve got to the final.”
Gers chief executive Martin Bain was delighted for the club’s supporters who have followed their side in huge numbers throughout the tournament.
“We’ve got a final to look forward to, I’m very, very proud,” said Bain. “For everyone connected to the club I’m delighted. The supporters have travelled in their thousands this season, and they deserve this.
“This is a big one but we’ve got a big one at the weekend [against Hibernian], so we’ve just got to keep focus.”