Aiden McGeady hero of cold war but warms to his next task

AIDEN McGeady fired the goal that sent Spartak into the last 16 of the Europa league - then admitted he's never been so cold.

The former Celtic winger netted the stoppage-time leveller in a 1-1 draw in frozen Moscow to secure his side's progress against FC Basel. But with temperatures plummeting to -16C, McGeady admitted he struggled to soak up the importance of his decisive strike. He said: "In that kind of weather, it was very difficult to enjoy the game. The cold was unreal - I've never played at that temperature.

McGeady insisted the bitter cold was no excuse for a sloppy performance by his side over the two legs. McGeady said: "I would like to say sorry to the fans because we made this more difficult than it should have been. It's not that we were surprised by Basel's performance, but we allowed them too much time on the ball and made it easier for them than it should have been.

While Rangers will face PSV Eindhoven next, Spartak take on their Dutch rivals Ajax. But McGeady is confident the Russians can march on to the quarter-finals if they cut out the sloppiness that almost cost them against the Swiss.

He added: "This is no great achievement, despite the fact we've overcome a good team. Against Ajax, it will of course be much more difficult. But, if we perform to our potential, we can go through. Ajax aren't quite the same side they were eight or nine years ago and we are looking forward to facing them."