Vaclav Cerny started the weekend by deleting his Instagram account after being subjected to a wave of stinging online flak.
But by the end it was an altogether brighter picture for the Rangers ace after his brilliant brace reeled in the points against stuffy St Johnstone. The on-loan Wolfsburg winger hasn’t been in the best frame of mind lately. Having got off to a bright start in Glasgow, he’s found things tougher the past month with a string of underwhelming performances leading him to become the focus of the Ibrox boo boys.
He had a run-in with punters in the enclosure when he told them where to go after one outburst too many during last week’s win over Hibs. And it all became too much after Thursday’s Europa League lesson from Lyon, when his dreadful sitter in front of an open goal sparked another round of abuse. The 26-year-old Czech international responded by scrubbing his account.
But it will be safe for him to step back into social media after his superb double kept Gers within five points of Premiership co-leaders Celtic and Aberdeen. Road closures due to the Great Scottish Run meant a late shift for Philippe Clement ’s team, with the game kicking off at 8pm.
But there was an early finish for Ianis Hagi as his long-awaited return to the Rangers first team lasted just 35 minutes before he was sent-off for a crude challenge on Benjamin Kimpioka. It’s taken months for the Romanian to sort out the contract issue that saw him frozen out. But he’ll have to take another seat on the sidelines for the next couple of games after getting his marching orders with 10 minutes left.
Work permit red tape meant new Saints boss Simo Valakari was also reduced to a watching brief from the directors box. The former Motherwell midfielder has returned to Scotland with a winning CV having managed in both his native Finland and Latvia.
But he’s got a heck of a job on his hands picking up a Perth team sitting second bottom that haven’t won since the second day of the Premiership season. Tom Lawrence’s absence meant Clement was able to give Nedim Bajrami a run out in his preferred slot at No.10.
But even with the Albanian pulling the strings, Rangers struggled to do much with their huge share of the possession stakes. And when they did create in the early exchanges, they were dogged by the same wasteful finishing that had proved so costly against Lyon.
Cerny was the main culprit in that Europa League hammering. This time, Cyriel Dessers was the guilty party as he nodded over a gift of a chance when James Tavernier’s corner found the Nigerian unmarked at the back post. Matt Smith saw a speculative effort bounce wide as Saints’ registered their first sighter at goal soon after.
But it was pretty much one- way traffic after that. Sven Sprangler’s foul on Mohamed Diomande presented Tavernier with a plumb central free-kick chance but the skipper’s effort flashed wide of Ross Sinclair’s left-hand post. Diomande was next to have a go as he was picked out by Cerny’s cuts back.
It looked on for a first-time finish but Diomande opted to spin onto his left foot, that only allowed Jack Sanders the time to throw himself into a block. Gers’ spot-kick hopes were dismissed as Dessers went down claiming a penalty-box tug in a scrum of bodies at the back post.
But just as it looked like Saints’ stubborn resistance would last until the change of ends, Cerny produced a moment of class to hush his critics. Receiving the ball from Diomande in the right-hand channel, the Czech ace stuck it through Sprangler’s legs. Lewis Neilson raced out to pressurise the wid man but didn’t get there fast enough as Cerny swept home a perfect finish with his left foot.
The roar produced by the goal was almost matched by the one that came as Hagi was introduced alongside Connor Barron at the start of the second half, replacing Diomande and Ross McCausland. The Ibrox faithful have been desperate to see the Romanian back but many of them have had enough of Dessers, with the frontman producing groans when his brutal first-touch wrecked a promising move.
Cerny almost got it in the neck too when he chose to cut back insider Kimpioka rather than take the Saints striker on. But the impatient punters were immediately forced to silence their bleating as Cerny’s decision-making was vindicated in stunning style on 58 minutes.
His pass to Hagi was returned with pin-point accuracy as the playmaker spotted Cerny darting into the box. Neilson was again the Saints defender on the spot but found himself twisted up as Cerny fired past Sinclair with his right.
St Johnstone should have grabbed a lifeline on 68 minutes as Makenzie Kirk outmuscled Robin Propper to set up a three on two. He had options for a cut back but went himself and was denied by Jack Butland. Having made such a positive impact, Hagi’s rustiness soon showed, arriving a second too late as he closed down Kimpioka before planting his studs into the Saints forward’s ankle.
Gers had 10 minutes to see out. Nicky Clark thought he’d set up a nervy finale as he lashed past Butland – but the former Ibrox striker’s celebrations were cut short by an offside flag.