Cerny sparkles as Rangers secure first league win of season

Vaclav Cerny’s first Rangers goal ensured Philippe Clement’s side kick-started their Scottish Premiership campaign with a 2-1 victory over Motherwell at Hampden Park.

Cyriel Dessers opened the scoring (13) but Robin Propper’s own goal pulled Motherwell level just four minutes later.

Cerny impressed on his first start, scoring a stunning goal to restore Rangers’ lead during the opening period (24).

The Czech winger – who set up Dessers’ dramatic leveller in the midweek Champions League third-round qualifier against Dynamo Kyiv – was replaced midway through the second half as Clement turned his focus to the second leg.

Dessers strikes again as Rangers begin to make Hampden home

Dessers scored for the second game in a row as Rangers began their temporary tenure at Hampden Park in unconvincing fashion against their injury-hit opponents.

The Gers striker equalised with the last meaningful kick of the ball in the Champions League qualifier against Dynamo Kyiv in Poland on Tuesday night, and he opened the scoring here – but Clement’s side were less cohesive after the break which invited Well back into the game, leaving the Gers fans on edge in the final stages.

The match began a run of four games at the national stadium home due to a delayed Ibrox refurbishment and they will return for the second leg of their Champions League qualifier against Dynamo Kyiv on Tuesday night to face an altogether tougher challenge – and they will need to improve.

It was always going to be an uphill battle for Stuart Kettlewell’s side, who had seven first-team players missing through injury, although highly-rated midfielder Lennon Miller had recovered from a knock.

Apostolos Stamatelopoulos and Steve Seddon made their first starts for the club while captain Paul McGinn also returned.

The Steelmen had the first chance when Miller ran past Propper, the 30-year-old defender signed from FC Twente, but his shot hit the side-netting.

In the 11th minute Cerny threaded a delightful pass through to Scott Wright and he rounded ‘keeper Aston Oxborough only to see his goal-bound shot blocked on the line by McGinn, with the ‘keeper then saving Dessers’ shot from inside the box.

However, the Gers forward latched on to a knockdown by Mohamed Diomande from Ridvan Yilmaz’s cross to fire in from a few yards out.

However, there was a shock for the jubilant home fans soon afterwards when Seddon’s cross from the left hit the head of Gers defender John Souttar before Propper inadvertently put it past ‘keeper Jack Butland.

The Light Blues came right back and Oxborough saved a 25-yard free-kick from James Tavernier. Wright had the ball in the net from the resultant corner but the ball had already gone out of play.

But the second goal was on its way from Cerny, who gave the diving Oxborough no chance with a curling shot from the edge of the box after driving in from the right.

The goal settled Rangers and Oxborough saved another free-kick from Tavernier, while there was more Motherwell woe when Zachary Robinson replaced the injured Stamatelopoulos just before the break.

Rangers took control at the start of the second half but soon replaced Cerny with Ross McCausland and Tom Lawrence with Dujon Sterling, as Tom Sparrow came on for Seddon to make his Motherwell league debut.

Sterling blocked a shot from Miller in a Motherwell attack, set up Dessers to fire an effort high over the bar and then headed a Tavernier corner over the bar.

However, the game was far from over.

In the 72nd minute, as the Gers defence looked ill at ease again, Robinson’s shot on the turn from 16 yards was brilliantly shoved behind by Butland and the Govan side had to defend the corner.

But Rangers saw the game out and now start preparing for a high-stakes European test.

Clement: We’re growing with each passing game

Rangers boss Philippe Clement: “We had a very good performance during 50 or 60 minutes and it was a well-deserved victory. After that we still created chances but we had to score a third or fourth goal to really kill the game totally.

“It’s a good game at the start of the season, we almost had 70 per cent ball possession, nine shots on targets and two really good goals.

“It’s a really positive afternoon and you see this team grow from game to game so that’s what we want to get.”

Kettlewell: We showed a real resilience

Motherwell boss Stuart Kettlewell: “Without ridiculous tactical changes at half-time I thought we changed the attitude in the second half and I thought we were far batter. We know we’ve created decent opportunities in the game.

“Our mentality changed for that second half and I suppose in many ways it becomes a moral victory. It’s no points but I just felt we acquitted ourselves better.

“We don’t have our troubles to seek when our striker comes off in the first half and it doesn’t look good. You feel at times it’s that one step forward and two steps back.

“I thought we showed a real resilience in the game and we’re going to need that going forward because our group’s getting smaller by the day and we’re going to have to depend on everyone that’s sat in that dressing room because that’s all we’ve got.”

Player of the match – Vaclav Cerny

On Cerny’s performance, Clement added: “We got what we expect from him and that’s why we got him and made the fight to convince him to come here because there were a lot of teams interested.

“He’s someone with a lot of experience who knows to find the right spaces and has a good connection with the players around him. He can be decisive with assists like he did on Tuesday [vs Dynamo Kyiv] or with goals like today so he’s going to be a big asset for the club.

“It’s now about looking at the playing minutes and how much he can take. He’s played the Euros, had four weeks off on holiday and he’s just started with us.”

What’s coming up in the Scottish Premiership?