Zenit St. Peteresburg clinched the UEFA Cup title for the first time in their history after claiming a 2-0 victory over Scotland's Rangers at the City of Manchester Stadium. Two second-half goals from Igor Denisov and Konstantin Zyrianov were enough to give Dick Advocaat's men a much deserved triumph. Zenit capped a fine campaign by securing the title as they eliminated favorites Bayern Munich on their road to glory. The first-half was a dour affair, with both sides failing to create goal-scoring opportunities. Andrei Arshavin came close to grabbing an early lead for Zenit but his low shot from inside the area hit the side-netting. The Russians had a penalty claim waved away by the referee just before halftime when Arshavin's cross from the left struck the arm of Rangers defender Kirk Broadfoot. Rangers, who are renowned for their tough defensive displays, pushed forward in the second half with the aim of exchanging attacking attempts with Zenit. Zenit keeper Vyacheslav Malafeev was finally called into action nine minutes after restart when he blocked two close-range shots from Jean-Claude Darcheville and Barry Ferguson. The lively Arshavin almost broke the deadlock four minutes past the hour mark. Rangers keeper Neil Alexander clumsily rushed out of his goal, allowing Arshavin to round him. However, the 26-year-old's effort was cleared off the line by Sasa Papac. Arshavin continued his brilliance and was the architect of Zenit opener in the 73rd minute. His deft through ball released Denisov, who squeezed in between two defenders before coolly slotting home. Zyrianov ensured the win in stoppage time with an easy tap-in into an empty net after Fatih Tekke's low cross evaded the keeper.
