Reaching their Zenit-h

Walter Smith has urged his Rangers players to forget the disappointment of their Uefa Cup final defeat on Wednesday and concentrate on completing the domestic treble that remains in their grasp.

Rangers can add the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Cup titles to the League Cup they have already secured this season and Smith said his squad had to retain their focus for the remaining four matches.

"We are disappointed to lose a final at the end of what has been a very long campaign for us," said Smith after seeing his side beaten 2-0 by Zenit St Petersburg, whose technical superiority finally yielded two goals in the last 20 minutes of the final at the City of Manchester stadium.

"Obviously it will be difficult to judge how much the disappointment takes out of the players. But what is at stake for them is that we have an opportunity with four games to go to win two trophies so I would hope that we can overcome the disappointment we have suffered.

"If we win our next three games in the Premier League [Scottish] and become champions we will be happy."

Rangers' hopes of securing a first European trophy in 36 years were crushed 18 minutes from time, when midfielder Igor Denisov combined smoothly with man-of-the-match Andrei Arshavin before slotting home for the Russian champions.

Konstantin Zyrianov added a close-range second in stoppage time to make sure Zenit emulated the achievement of 2005 winners CSKA Moscow and condemned the tens of thousands of Rangers supporters who had descended on Manchester to a miserable journey back to Scotland.

Arshavin, who is being tipped as a potential star of Euro 2008, was also involved in the build-up to the second goal and Smith acknowledged that a player of his guile was something Rangers lacked, and said he believes Zenit are good enough to go on to make an impact in the Champions League next season, although Advocaat admitted he could face a battle to keep his squad together.

"I have no doubt that some players will go and then you have to start again. It is always the problem with success. We already sold Martin Skrtl to Liverpool but you have to keep players like that if you want to become even better and continue winning.

"It is not only Arshavin we have to keep. There are other players who are very important to us." (AFP)

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