Zenit star: Gers weakest

ZENIT St Petersburg playmaker Andrei Arshavin has claimed Rangers were the weakest opponents the Russian side faced on their march to UEFA Cup glory.

Arshavin was man of the match at the City of Manchester Stadium on Wednesday night as Zenit claimed their first-ever European trophy with a 2-0 win over the Light Blues.

But, despite conceding that Walter Smith's men gave them a tough time before Zenit's late goals, Arshavin does not believe they compare favourably to the likes of Bayern Munich, Villarreal, Everton or even Greek minnows Larissa, who they faced earlier in the competition.

"It turned out to be a difficult match," Arshavin said of the final.

"I think Rangers were the weakest of all our opponents in our UEFA Cup campaign but the Scots managed to cause us problems with their dedication and good defensive play and also by not allowing us to undo them."