Vaclav Cerny the standout as Rangers win despite Propper own goal

Cyriel Dessers opened the scoring for Rangers as he converted from close range but Robin Propper marked his debut with an own goal as he knocked a cross beyond keeper Jack Butland. A stunning effort from Vaclav Cerny proved to be the winner for Clement’s side.

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Rangers are back at the national stadium on Tuesday evening as they host Dynamo Kyiv in the second leg of their Champions League qualifier. Here, the Rangers Review looks at the key points from the first win of the campaign.

Clement’s side merited their win

The opening goal was no more than Rangers merited after a purposeful start. Dessers was flagged offside after missing the target in the opening stages, while Scott Wright saw a low effort saved. After those two squandered clear chances each, Dessers broke the deadlock with a finish from close range. Ridvan Yilmaz picked out Mohamed Diomande at the back post and Dessers was on hand to convert after the ball was nodded across goal.

Propper’s own goal gave Motherwell a foothold in the game. Their only other opening had come inside four minutes as the offside flag was raised after Lennon Miller hit the side netting. The stunner from Cerny was the difference at the interval and proved to be the winner.

Clear chances did not arrive with any regularity for Rangers after the break. A Dujon Sterling header was perhaps the best of them as Motherwell hung on and were given hope. 

The closing stages were more fraught than they should have been. Rangers did what they had to do and saw it out. In the end, that is what mattered most.

No Hampden roar for Rangers

The advertising boards and stickers were all in the right places and the same music reverberated around the ground. Rangers did what they could to make Hampden feel like home, but this was always going to be a unique experience on and off the park.

In time, the novelty factor will wear off. Ultimately, Hampden will be remembered for what Clement’s side achieve. Fans are right to be furious that they ended up here in the first place. Clement needed them to with his side, though. A crowd of 48,529 was recorded but there were certainly not that many here come the final whistle.

The Union Bears were positioned centrally behind the goal and were at the heart of the atmosphere. Clement expected the noise levels to double with the majority of the stadium behind Rangers but this had a very Ibrox matchday feel about it as the minutes ticked on, the tension increased. Apart from the constant noise from West Stand, Hampden was largely flat and soulless.

Own goal doesn’t overshadow Propper performance

It was a case of third time lucky for Propper in terms of his Rangers debut. He was part of the group that travelled to Tynecastle last weekend but wasn’t named in the squad and he didn’t get off the bench in Poland on Tuesday evening. He had to start this time out.

His first goal contribution came at the wrong end. He was culpable, but not entirely to blame. It was the Dutchman that diverted a Steve Seddon cross into his own net, but he was right to question how easily Motherwell were able to play through Rangers from midfield and then fail to stop the cross that he got in a mess trying to deal with. It was another example that this Rangers defence still needs to improve if it is to be the foundations for success.

Propper was comfortable on the ball and made a handful of good blocks, his positioning and reading of the game standing him in good stead. Leon Balogun took his place for the final quarter of an hour. Come Tuesday night, could those two be the pick for Clement?

Cerny shows his class

The issue on the right side has been a long-standing one for Rangers. On first viewings, it looks like Cerny could well have solved it. It is early days, of course, but this was a performance that offered encouragement for Rangers. He was rightly named as Man of the Match, despite only playing for less than an hour.

The highlight was his strike that restored the lead in the first half. Cerny had shown his eagerness to come in from the flank on a couple of occasions previously. When the shooting opportunity opened up, he made the most of it with a curling effort that was perfectly placed to Aston Oxborough’s right. James Tavernier found him inside and his instinct to turn and get a shot away paid off in some style.

Earlier in the half, Cerny split the Motherwell defence with a wonderful through ball. It was a moment of vision that deserved to be finished but Wright and then Dessers couldn’t oblige.

His afternoon came to an end ten minutes after the break as Ross McCausland replaced him on the right. It was a switch made with Kyiv in mind. Cerny will be one of the first names on the team sheet.

Wright is the wrong man on the left

Clement didn’t single out Wright by name but his comment on Friday, when discussing the impact of Jefte, was telling. Clement referenced players not performing to the level required and having to look for different solutions. It was a surprise, then, to see Wright start ahead of Jefte here. McCausland dropped out as Cerny started, while Rabbi Matondo was overlooked. The Welshman was introduced with 20 minutes remaining.

The loss of Oscar Cortes for several weeks has caused Clement a real problem. While Cerny looks impressive on the right, Rangers are now searching for solutions on the left. Wright is not the answer and this was another run of the mill showing that taught Clement nothing new. It certainly wasn’t a winger staking a claim.