Updated: April 24, 2008, 4:47 PM EST 18 comments

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Walter Smith's team did that, frustrating the Italian club in the opening leg of the UEFA Cup semifinals to draw 0-0 at Ibrox on Thursday and stay in contention of winning four titles this season.

Fiorentina forward Adrian Mutu's low free kick in the 76th minute was the most threatening shot in a drab game.

Rangers was also held to scoreless draws at home by Sporting Lisbon and Panathinaikos earlier in the competition only to emerge victorious in the second leg.

"We go away from home with confidence, knowing we can get goals away from home," Rangers coach Walter Smith said. "We've managed to do so in the Champions League games and UEFA Cup, so hopefully we will do it again.

"I think we are a difficult team to play and score against, and with away goals counting double there's a little bit of edginess."

Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli believes next Thursday's second leg in Florence could be determined on penalty kicks.

"We were up against a brick wall," Prandelli said. "The match is still open, but it could end up going to penalties. Rangers may have won their games away from home this season, but there's always a first time for everything."

Having lost eight players to injury and suspension, Rangers played the 17th match of a European campaign that began last July in the Champions League qualifying. The Scottish club can still win four titles this season.

Rangers has already won the Scottish League Cup and trails league leader Celtic by two points with three games in hand. By the time it plays Queen of the South in the Scottish Cup final on May 24, the UEFA Cup final would have been played in Manchester 10 days earlier.

This is the furthest Rangers has progressed in Europe since winning the 1972 Cup Winner's Cup.

The Ibrox crowd of 49,199 saw none of the drama produced when the teams last met in Glasgow. Fiorentina won 2-0 in the first leg of the 1961 European Cup Winners' Cup and went on to lift the now-defunct trophy on home soil.

It looked most likely to replicate that triumph as Rangers struggled to emerge from its own half with possession.

"It was a very tight game with few clear-cut opportunities for either side," Smith said. "Fiorentina showed a quality in terms of possession of ball that we struggled to match at times."

Steven Whittaker's mistake in the 12th allowed Mutu to draw the first save out of goalkeeper Sebastian Frey.

The visitors were allowed to ease into the match and had little to contain until Jean-Claude Darcheville raced down the right flank before running out of options. The Frenchman, leading the Rangers attack, was targeted on his darting runs and Mario Alberto Santana was booked in the 20th.

Neil Alexander, who replaced the injured Allan McGregor in goal for Rangers, had little to do as Martin Jorgensen and Zdravko Kuzmanovic were reduced to shooting from distance.

Rangers squandered the few openings that came its way, with Steven Davis' corner in first-half injury time lacking a target man.

Rangers emerged from the break in a more assertive mood.

In the first meaningful move, Kirk Broadfoot threaded the ball through to Nacho Novo, whose touch let him down and the chance was wasted.

Novo was then unsuccessful in attempting to lob Frey from 30 yards. The Spaniard continued to press for the opening goal, but could only shoot wide in the 57th before making way for Thomas Buffel.

Christian Dailly came close to breaking the deadlock in the 79th, nodding wide from Broadfoot's cross.