ANDRE Ooijer has experienced some difficult times during his Blackburn career but he was a giant as Mark Hughes' side marched into the knockout stages of the UEFA Cup.

On a night when Rovers faced the biggest test of their European mettle so far, Ooijer and his defensive charges passed with flying colours after fighting like tigers here.

Needing a point to guarantee their place in the next phase, Rovers coped magnificently with everything Feyenoord - and their notorious fans - could throw at them in this hostile cauldron of a stadium.

Whether it was objects thrown from the crowd, or the numerous shots that rained in on Brad Friedel's goal, Rovers absorbed all the blows in what was a gritty, and sometimes backs-to-the-wall, away performance.

If you want to be successful in competitions like the UEFA Cup then these are exactly the kind of tests you need to pass on foreign fields.

Character coursed through the veins of everyone in a Rovers shirt, from Ooijer and Michael Gray at the back, to Tugay and the irrepressible Robbie Savage in midfield.

Even when Morten Gamst Pedersen got pelted with a pint of beer in the first half, the Norwegian just picked himself up, dusted himself down, and got on with the task of securing Rovers' safe passage into the last 32.

And Hughes was delighted with a job well done afterwards.

It was here in this stadium, 15 years ago, where the Rovers boss scored twice to win the Cup Winners' Cup for Manchester United.

Now, the Welshman is eyeing similar success as a manager with Blackburn.

"We're delighted to be through. It was a good, professional European performance," said the Rovers chief.

"We created a number of chances from open play and it would have been nice to score in front of our fans, who were magnificent. That would have made it a perfect night."

Hughes made one change to the side that drew with Tottenham at the weekend, Zurab Khizanishvili coming in for the ineligible Stephane Henchoz in the centre of defence.

Feyenoord coach Erwin Koeman, meanwhile, welcomed back his star striker Angelos Charisteas, who scored the winner in final of the 2004 European Championships when Greece beat Portugal 1-0.

Earlier, Brett Emerton had warned his team-mates that De Kuip' could be an intimidating venue, and he wasn't understating the point.

In the minutes leading up to kick-off, the stadium was a wall of noise, a barrage of flares and firecrackers greeting the two sets of players when they emerged from the tunnel.

Rovers weren't short of vocal support themselves, however, and, roared on by their biggest ever following in Europe, they made the early pace, carving out the game's first chance following a slick counter-attack in the eighth minute.

David Bentley and Benni McCarthy linked up well on the edge of the area, and when the ball was eventually played out to Shabani Nonda, who was in space on the right, the African almost squeezed a low drive past Henk Timmer at the near post.

Nonda had an even better chance to end his nine-match goal drought soon after.

Gray's sweeping cross-field pass found Bentley, who in turn picked out Nonda with a perfectly weighted right-wing centre, but, with only Timmer to beat, he headed tamely over the crossbar.

It was 22 minutes before the home side threatened Friedel's goal for the first time.

The dangerous Charisteas wriggled his way into the area, but was soon thwarted by Friedel, who brilliantly spread himself to repel the shot.

Then, in the ensuing melee, Khizanishvili and Emerton both made courageous blocks to deny the dangerous Nick Hofs.

With Tugay pulling all the strings in midfield, Rovers continued to look the more accomplished side in possession, but it was Feyenoord who began posing the greater threat in the final third.

Belgian striker Stein Huysegems had a shot deflected wide for a corner, then the same player took a tumble in the area following a challenge by Emerton, but the German referee Knut Kircher failed to be sucked in by it and awarded a goal-kick instead.

Rovers were indebted to Ooijer, their captain for the night, when Hofs got in again shortly before half-time.

Danny Buijs showed great vision when he cut the ball back to the Dutchman, who was completely unmarked and ready to pull the trigger 12 yards out, but somehow Ooijer threw his body in the way and blocked his goal-bound shot.

The second half began in much the same way that the first had ended.

This time, Gray made a goal-saving tackle on Charisteas after the Greek had crept in undetected.

By now, the momentum was firmly with the Dutch, and another shot from Huysegems tested Friedel, who did well to gather the ball cleanly after it bounced awkwardly in front of him.

Bentley offered a brief moment of respite when he blazed over following smart work by McCarthy, then Emerton tried his luck from distance, but his low drive lacked the necessary venom to beat Timmer.

Feyenoord had another - and perhaps more valid - shout for a penalty in the 67th minute when Dwight Tiendalli's cross appeared to strike Ooijer on the arm as he attempted to hook the ball clear.

This time, however, the Dutchman got the benefit of the doubt, unlike on three previous occasions in the Premiership this season, which leant weight to Hughes' pre-match assertion that foreign referees are generally better than their English counterparts.

Rovers might even have snatched a winner in the closing stages when Savage burst through the centre after exchanging passes with McCarthy, but the Welshman's low shot whispered past the base of the far post.

In the end, though, it didn't matter. Thanks to Ooijer and company, Rovers' European adventure will run into the New Year - and maybe beyond.

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