2008 Scottish League Cup Final

The 2008 Scottish League Cup Final was played on 16 March 2008 [cite web |title=League Cup Fixtures |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_cups/league_cup_fix/default.stm |accessdate=2008-03-11 |publisher=BBC Sport ] at Hampden Park in Glasgow and was the 61st Scottish League Cup Final. The final was contested by Dundee United, who beat Aberdeen 4–1 in the semi-final, [cite web |title=Aberdeen 1-4 Dundee United |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_cups/7226724.stm |publisher=BBC Sport |date=2008-02-05 |accessdate=2008-03-11 ] and Rangers, who beat Hearts 2–0. [cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_cups/7215941.stm |title=Rangers 2-0 Hearts |publisher=BBC Sport |date=2008-01-30 |accessdate=2008-03-11 ] The two sides had last met in a League Cup Final in the 1984-85 season with Rangers winning 1–0 on that occasion. The previous year's winners were Hibernian, who beat Kilmarnock 5–1 in the 2007 Final [cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_cups/6456647.stm |title=Rangers 2-0 Hearts |date=2008-01-30 |accessdate=2008-03-11 |publisher=BBC Sport ] but they were knocked out in the third round by Motherwell who beat them 4–2, it was the fifth successive year in which both of the previous year's finalists did not make it to the final. Rangers won the match 3–2 on Penalties after the match had ended in a 2–2 draw.

Match Summary

Neither team looked better than the other during a fairly uneventful first 10 minutes. in the 18th minute the Rangers captain Barry Ferguson forced Dundee United's goalkeeper, Łukasz Załuska to produce the first real save of the game. It was Dundee United however who became the dominant team as the first half progressed and took a deserved lead in the 33rd minute, the first shot by Noel Hunt was saved by Allan McGregor but the ball wasn't cleared and Hunt somehow managed to get the ball over the line despite the best efforts of Steven Davis. United could have been two goals in front moments later as Saša Papac almost scored an own goal with a pass back but Carlos Cuéllar was there to clear it off the line.

Before the second half got underway, Rangers manager Walter Smith made a substitution with midfielder Brahim Hemdani making way for Striker Jean-Claude Darcheville. The second half started in a similar way to the first, with neither team in control. United felt they should have been awarded a penalty in the 53rd minute when Cuellar appeared to pull back Christian Kalvenes in the box, but referee Kenny Clark waved play on. Walter Smith made another substitution in the 61st minute when the left back Papac was replaced by Striker Kris Boyd. Darcheville headed the ball into the net in the 77th minute from a quickly-taken free-kick, but the referee decided that Ferguson had taken the set-piece too quickly. Rangers scored the equalizing goal with 6 minutes of normal time remaining, Mark Kerr attempted a pass back to his goalkeeper but Boyd was their to score the goal that would take the match into Extra time.

The first half of extra time got underway with Rangers looking the better team, however with just 5 minutes played Mark de Vries restored United's lead when he put the ball past McGregor with a strike from the top-right edge of the box. Rangers dominated the second half and were rewarded when Boyd headed in the equalizer at the back post in 112th minute. The match would be decided by a Penalty shootout, Boyd scored the winning penalty after a miss by Lee Wilkie.

Match details

footballbox
date = March 16, 2008
time = 15:00
team1 = Dundee United
score = 2 – 2 (a.e.t.)
report = [http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_cups/7296157.stm Report]
team2 = Rangers
goals1 = Hunt goal|34
de Vries goal|95
goals2 = Boyd goal|85 goal|113
stadium = Hampden Park, Glasgow
referee = K Clark
attendance = 50,019

penshootoutbox
penalties1=Flood pengoal
Conway penmiss|wide
de Vries pengoal
Robertson penmiss|saved
Wilkie penmiss|saved
penaltyscore=2 – 3
penalties2=penmiss|hit the crossbar Darcheville
pengoal Whittaker
pengoal Davis
penmiss|saved McCulloch
pengoal Boyd

Match statistics

References