Philippe Clement demands more against Dynamo Kyiv after opening Hampden win

Posted Sunday, August 11, 2024 by PA

Philippe Clement believes Rangers will need to be more efficient against Dynamo Kyiv on Tuesday than in their 2-1 William Hill Premiership win over injury-hit Motherwell.

Striker Cyriel Dessers opened the scoring for the Govan side at temporary home Hampden Park in the 13th minute before Gers debutant defender Robin Propper scored an own goal four minutes later.

Winger Vaclav Cerny, making his first start since signing on loan from Bundesliga club Wolfsburg, restored the Light Blues’ lead in the 24th minute with a wonderful finish from the edge of the box and it proved enough to take the three points.

After a 1-1 draw with Kyiv in the first leg of their Champions League third qualifier in Poland on Tuesday night, Clement starts preparing for the second leg against the Ukrainian side, with the incentive a play-off game against Salzburg or FC Twente in the play-off.

The Belgian boss is looking for a “very big” performance which is “comparable, I think, with Tuesday.

“We will need a good efficiency. You will not get 19 shots like today, or nine on target like today.

“We need to be really efficient in that game. And it’s a team that showed a lot of quality the last couple of weeks. The last couple of years also, by playing together, so we need to be on top of our game.

“And then to have the 50,000 behind us to push us through the difficult moments. It’s always been crucial at Ibrox, and now it’s important we get it at Hampden also.”

The match began a run of four games at the national stadium home due to delayed Ibrox refurbishment and Clement said: “It’s always going to be an adaptation, of course. But that’s why it’s really important to start with the win, to have this feeling.

“And to have this connection with the fans – they were behind the team all the game. I wish we could have given them a third and fourth goal.

“We have to become better in that also, to be more efficient. I think the quality finishing of Vaclav is a good proof of that. But we’re working hard on that.”

Well boss Stuart Kettlewell was without seven first-team players through injury and to add to his woes striker Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, making his first start since signing from Newcastle Jets, had to be replaced by Zachary Robinson just before the break.

Kettlewell said of the Australian: “He had a bit of tightness in his thigh. I think he’s then stopped. Sometimes we associate it with stretching for the ball, but he actually stops and at that point, he’s obviously felt a much sharper pain in his thigh.

“He seems really robust. He’s played a lot of games of football. He’s generally available and fit, as are a number of the guys that are out injured at this minute in time so we’re obviously worried about it.

“I’m not going into too much more detail until we see the right specialists and get things scanned and all the rest of it. But it doesn’t look great.”

The Well boss noted that only a “world-class” save from Jack Butland in the second half prevented a Well equaliser.

He said: “You’re hoping for that opportunity that gets you level in the game and hopefully more beyond that.

“I just think back to Zach Robinson’s strike at goal. It’s just a world-class save from Jack Butland. We’ve seen him doing that for a period of time now.”