They had hoped so much, it was hard to comprehend at the final whistle that their dreams were over.

Tens of thousands of Rangers fans had spent the day partying in Manchester, with thousands more back home in Scotland savouring the build up to a historic game.

However, what should have been a celebration turned to commiseration. After the game downhearted supporters in Manchester said they were "devastated" and seemed disappointed with their team's performance.

Paul Johnson, 25, from the Knightswood area of Glasgow, said: "I'm absolutely gutted. We were so close to a historic victory for our club but we just couldn't perform on the night.

"It was just a dream for us and we didn't quite make it."

Ian Anderson, 19, from Fife, said: "I'm absolutely devastated. We should have had a penalty, but to be honest they had more of the ball. They created more chances."

Alan Bedford, 22, from Renfrewshire, said: "Of course I was totally gutted but we didn't expect to be there at the start of this season. We were chasing four trophies and we're still in for three. I'm chuffed with that."

And Scott McBride, 19, from Loch Lomondside, was "disappointed" with his team's performance, saying: "We can't expect to go out there just defending and win the game. Obviously the whole lot of us are very upset but we didn't play as we should have."

While disappointed, many fans expressed their hopes for what could still be an exceptional season for the Glasgow side - which remains on for the treble.

Ken Wotherspoon, 29, from Bristol, a season ticket holder, said: "This was a home game for us. The atmosphere was brilliant, even when beaten we kept cheering until the last man had left the field. The big thing is to keep the team's spirits up. The season is not over."

Although the Russian side won, it was the masses of Rangers fans who made all the noise during and after the whistle. Roman Sheludchenko, a jubilant Zenit supporter, who spoke to The Herald as he left the stadium, said of the win: "It was beautiful. We have had a fantastic time, trying to out-sing Rangers which was hard."

Earlier in the day it had been a different story in Manchester as Rangers fans drank in the sun. The city's authorities had set aside the zone in Piccadilly Gardens - later the scene of trouble involving Rangers fans and police - for the supporters of Zenit. By mid-morning, they had been forced to think again. The Russians gathered in the corner, bravely waving a Union flag in the Zenit colours of white and blues. Both light and dark. "We have been squeezed out," said Yelena Rakityanskaya of St Petersburg. "There's no space left for us."

By lunch, what was the Zenit "end" of Manchester had been turned into one of the main mustering points for tens of thousands of Rangers fans.

Soon they spilled beyond the crowd barriers, spreading into neighbouring streets and effectively blocking the city's system of tram lines. The bars had been open since 10am - and many were the worse for wear. Two women, sunburnt and overheated, lay down and slept on the tramlines. That was the end of Manchester's commuter system.

James Macdonald, of Rutherglen, sitting quietly on the tracks in his Rangers top, quipped: "I am not here for the game. I am here for my tram home."

Mancunians, by and large, saw the funny side. One such was Lizzie House, 19. "It is so good to see Manchester blue at last," she said. Her love of the colour is not without reason: she plays for Manchester City Ladies. "I was supposed to be going to hospital for physio, but this is fantastic. The atmosphere is brilliant."

Eventually by late afternoon, the lucky minority of fans with tickets made their way to the City of Manchester Stadium. Standing outside the ground, one Russia fan saluted Rangers' supporters and, with a thick, thick accent, said exactly what they wanted to hear. "You," he shouted, "Are the people."

Jim Templeton, officially Rangers' most senior fan and president of its assembly of nearly 500 supporters clubs, was determined his members should show themselves in the best possible light. "Rangers," he said, "is not just a football club. It is a way of life."