The kind of European night the Rangers faithful had forgotten returned to Ibrox with a stylish success over PAOK Salonika. The Greeks were reduced to 10 men for 82 minutes of the game with Triantafilos Macheridis' eighth minute dismissal, but this needed to be exploited and Rangers deserve credit for how they did so.

The deadlock survived to the interval, but after 55 minutes it was broken by Andrei Kanchelskis' first goal since his summer £5.5 million switch from Fiorentina.

That fierce header relaxed Rangers, who have struggled to take domestic form into the European stage in recent years, and Rod Wallace doubled their advantage after 69 minutes.

It was the former Leeds man's first goal in Europe and means at last Rangers have emerged from continental combat with their honour intact.

Ironically this win follows the first season for more than a decade that they finished trophyless in Scotland, but under Dick Advocaat at home and abroad the future holds promise.

Advocaat played Kanchelskis from the outset, after he was only a substitute in the opening Scottish Premier League defeat at Hearts, but Colin Hendry and Daniel Prodan were ineligible.

Missing at Tynecastle, but back last night was Lorenzo Amoruso, who added steel and, at times, no little skill to the Rangers backline.

Danish referee Kim Milton Nielsen, who dismissed David Beckham at France 98 against Argentina, was soon back in the old routine to give this UEFA Cup second qualifying round tie a dramatic opening.

He sent off PAOK debutant Macheridis after just eight minutes, when the Greek midfielder committed his second bookable offence by throwing the ball away after the award of an indisputable freekick.

His first yellow card came just four minutes earlier for a bad foul on Gordon Durie, which prompted the early replacement of the Scotland forward by Gabriel Amato because of a leg injury.

Durie's departure marked a hostile opening period that saw three Greek bookings as well as Macheridis' ordering-off.

The two best Rangers chances of the first 45 minutes both fell to Wallace, who was clearly saving his best finishing for later and outside the area.

The first of these opportunities was created by Kanchelskis after 16 minutes, when he crossed for the striker to glance a header narrowly wide.

Then Kanchelskis himself cut inside with menace after 24 minutes and forced the first real save out of PAOK keeper Nikolos Mihopoulos high above his head.

After 32 minutes Barry Ferguson, again impressing with his composure, put Wallace clear on Mihopoulos, but the goalkeeper was equal to the task low to his right, palming the effort away.

From the resulting Giovanni Van Bronckhorst corner the ball found Kanchelskis on the edge of the area and his powerful strike was blocked by Persy Olivares.

After 44 minutes a precise Van Bronckhorst cross, the Dutchman's best of the half, picked out substitute Amato, but he headed some distance over the crossbar when wellplaced to do better.

That goalless first half never looked like being repeated in the second as Rangers upped a gear to telling effect and made their extra man count.

After 55 minutes Wallace found time and space on the left flank to send over a deep cross to the far post, where Kanchelskis met the ball with an incisive header.

The Russian international winger had claims for a penalty refused after 63 minutes, when his back flick appeared to brush the hand of Olivares inside the area.

Undeterred, Kanchelskis merely resumed his taunting of the opposition, firing a cross to Van Bronckhorst, who opted to volley first time, bringing a fine save out of Mihopoulos.

Rangers introduced Jorg Albertz after 68 minutes, surprisingly left out from the starting line-up, and he at once added drive to the midfield.

It was his run, a minute after taking the field, that split the defence for Wallace to curl a stunning 20yard shot low past Mihopoulos for a vital second goal.

In the final minute Albertz, demonstrating he deserved to play from the start, fired a magnificent 30-yard effort that the PAOK goalkeeper did well to tip over.

As vital as the two-goal lead in the return in two weeks' time will be, the clean sheet should virtually seal matters for Rangers.