Alan McGregor was the hero tonight as Rangers made their way into the last eight of the UEFA Cup. A 1-0 victory was enough in Germany to see them past Werder Bremen, but the Germans will feel hard done by as they were probably the better side over 180 minutes.

Within two minutes, Daniel Jensen pulled the trigger from the right corner of the box and his low shot flew inches past the left post before Markus Rosenberg failed to control a header from Per Mertesacker deep inside the danger area.

After Sebastian Boenisch dragged a 20-yard shot wide, Hugo Almeida nodded over after a feed from Hunt.

Rangers had difficulty coping with the pressure but Charlie Adam found himself with time and space inside the Werder box on one of the rare attacking forays.

Mertesacker twice got his body in front of the ball though as Adam looked to give Rangers the away goals which would have meant the home side needed four goals.

Rosenberg then forced Allan McGregor into a strong save with his shot from 16 yards out on the right and unmarked Tim Borowski volleyed over from close range.

The hosts kept striding forward with purpose, with McGregor spectacularly stopping a powerful 14-yard strike from Jensen in the 24th minute.

The 26-year-old was the hero again when he turned a shot from Patrick Owomoyela wide of the left post. Luck was then on McGregor's side when he underestimated a cross from the left and Almeida headed wide.

Novo wasted a golden chance to break the deadlock after Kirk Broadfoot found him with his pass down the right flank.

The Spaniard's shot from a sharp angle was punched away by Wiese.

Bremen centre-back Naldo tried his luck with a 30-yard free-kick effort which McGregor held, and the Brazilian defender failed with two more shots before half-time.

There were no changes after the break, and the pattern remained the same, with Rangers on the back foot.

Bremen launched one furious assault after another, with McGregor stopping two more fierce shots from Jensen in the 50th and 55th minutes.

Rangers brought on Steven Whittaker for Adam to give the visitors added defensive strength, but Diego soon put Bremen ahead.

The Brazilian made space for himself with some superb skill on the edge of the box and then beat McGregor with a low left-footed shot across the goalkeeper and into the right corner.

Rangers almost levelled up immediately but Davis could not finish off good work on the counter-attack from tireless right-back Broadfoot.

David Weir and Carlos Cuellar were heading away most of the high balls into the Rangers box, but often only finding Bremen players.

Mertesacker threatened with a header from Bremen's 14th corner not long after Lee McCulloch replaced Novo in the 78th minute.

The chance to take the game to extra-time fell to substitute Sanogo who from six yards should have buried the ball past McGregor.

The goalkeeper looked to have no chance but covered yards of ground to turn the ball onto the bar.

Rangers would never allow Bremen to get close again as they survived a dramatic final minute to book their ticket to the quarter-finals.