GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - DaMarcus Beasley came on as a second half substitute as Rangers held Barcelona to a scoreless Champions League draw in front of 49,957 fans in Glasgow on Tuesday night.

The former Chicago Fire star came on for Spanish midfielder Nacho Novo in the 72nd minute, manning the wide right flank and provided his usual defensive prowess, harassing the mighty Barcelona attack.

"It was fun," Beasley told American Soccer Daily regarding the tempo of the game. "Anytime you play against a team like (Barcelona), one of the best teams in the world, it's a great challenge."

Both teams came into Matchday 3 of Champions League Group E match unbeaten, with Rangers having overcome their fourth seed status to dispose of VfB Stuttgart and Lyon in their previous two encounters.

The Light Blues set up in a very defensive 4-5-1 formation, wary of the offensive threat from the three-headed monster of Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi.

Barcelona didn't disappoint as they held the lion's share of possession in the first half, a whopping 68%. They used their speed and guile to occupy the Rangers defense. At times, only last ditch clearances from defenders Carlos Cuellar and David Weir prevented a goal.

Eidur Gudjohnsen found room for an open corner kick header in the sixth minute, but sent it over the bar.

The Glasgow side managed to carve out two half chances thanks to the determination of the Spaniard Novo, looking to make an impression on his native country's side. He fed and early ball to lone striker Daniel Cousin, but Barça's goalkeeper Victor Valdes was equal to the challenge, then had a shot of his own deadened on the way to goal.

Midway through the period Alan Hutton tripped up Henry just outside the area, giving Ronaldinho a prime chance to fire. The Brazil ace sent a rocket that Allan Macgregor appeared to tip over off the bar, but Rangers were rewarded with a goal kick.

The Catalan side started to assert dominance in the final stages of the first half and the Rangers defenders were under siege. The Scottish Premier League side were able to stop most of the final balls as they loaded as many as six players in the penalty box to thwart the Barça challenge.

In the last 15 minutes of the first half, Barcelona held the ball as if new rules were created allowing only one team possession as Rangers looked desperate in defending.

In the 35th minute, Kevin Thomson earned a yellow card for tugging down Henry, which means he will miss the return leg in Barcelona in two weeks. Seconds later, there were shouts for a penalty as Hutton looked to have put a hand to a Ronaldinho rocket.

Carlos Puyol found no one home for his tempting cross after nutmegging Sasa Papac, then placed a header toward the upper 90 that Macgregor stretched to push wide.

For all the possession the Catalan side had, they could not deliver the vital final ball, at times choosing the cute pass rather than a direct shot, allowing Rangers to clear.

"We didn't create too many clear cut opportunities of our own, but neither did Barcelona, especially with the amount of possession they had," Rangers manager Walter Smith said at the post-match press conference.

The second half started with Barcelona again dominating possession, and looking like a threat to score for the first 20 minutes of the second half.

Their best chance came in the 68th minute when a corner kick found its way past the Light Blues defense, giving Henry an open look at goal, but the French striker wasted his opportunity by heading over the bar.

Rangers started to come alive from that point, with Gabonese striker Daniel Cousin, who had been stranded up front most of the night as his teammates concentrated on defending, providing the fighting spirit to take some chances of their own.

In the 69th minute, Cousin delivered what was to be the Glasgow side's best opportunity when he took the ball out on the left wing, turned, and delivered a pinpoint cross into the box that just barely missed a lunging Barry Ferguson.

Smith then inserted Beasley for Novo to help keep the ball and provide fresh legs. It worked as the Light Blues were able to keep Barça's chances very limited the rest of the way and preserve the no score draw.

Late in the game, the hosts had a couple of looks at goal, with Lee McCulloch firing wildly over and Cousin coming close with a tight angle volley.

Knowing that a draw was a result that kept the Glasgow side well in the hunt for a place in the second round, the crowd of nearly 50,000 all let out a collective roar at the final whistle.

Rangers manager Smith was equally ecstatic with the result. "All in all, it was an excellent result for us tonight," he said after the match.

Speaking to ASD after the game, Beasley was equally pleased with the effort the Light Blues showed against Barcelona; "It was a team effort - whatever you can do to help the team, that's our mentality, we work for one another."

Rangers have three matches before heading out to Barcelona in two weeks, with SPL encounters against Dundee United and Inverness Caley Thistle on successive weekends sandwiching a midweek CIS Cup Insurance game against Motherwell on Halloween.

ASD's Three Stars
#1 Carlos Puyol
#2 Carlos Cuellar
#3 Ronaldinho

Line-ups
RAN - Allan McGregor; Alan Hutton, Carlos Cuellar, David Weir, Sasa Papac, Barry Ferguson, Kevin Thompson, Charlie Adam, Lee McCulloch, Nacho Novo (DaMarcus Beasley 72'), Daniel Cousin

BAR - Victor Valdes; Gabriel Milito, Carlos Puyol, Lilian Thuram, Eric Abidal, Xavi Hernandez, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Andres Iniesta, Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry (Giovanni dos Santos 82'), Lionel Messi