Glasgow Rangers were outclassed in the Europa League on Thursday evening, suffering their first defeat in the newly revamped league phase.

Lyon emerged as 4–1 victors from the clash at Ibrox, with Philippe Clement’s side paying the price for not being clinical enough in front of goal.

It has been a problem which has persisted over the previous few years, as the Light Blues have struggled to replace Alfredo Morelos, who departed in the summer of 2023.

The result of the game might have been slightly different if Vaclav Cerny had slotted the ball into an empty net after just seven minutes, squandering a chance which looked harder to miss than actually finding the back of the net.

Vaclav Cerny’s performance for Rangers vs Lyon

In a game which required the front four to be clinical with their chances, Rangers weren’t able to find the back of the net more than once.

Tom Lawrence scored yet again, his fourth of the season, while Nedim Bajrami also looked exciting on the left flank.

It was Cerny who spurned the biggest chance, and he continued to look poor throughout his time on the pitch, winning zero duels and making zero dribbles, before he was replaced by Dujon Sterling with 20 minutes left.

Vaclav Cerny’s Rangers statistics

The Czech winger arrived on a season-long loan deal during the transfer window as Clement was aiming to bolster his first-team squad.

Given that he had scored four Bundesliga goals for Wolfsburg last term, it looked like a solid piece of business by the Belgian.

During his first six games before the international break in September, the 26-year-old scored once and grabbed two assists for the Ibrox side, showcasing his class.

Despite starring for the Czech Republic in the Nations League tie against Ukraine, Cerny has looked a shadow of his former self in recent weeks.