Philippe Clement claims returning midfielder Ianis Hagi’s late red card in Rangers’ 2-0 William Hill Premiership win over St Johnstone at Ibrox was “clumsy” rather than malicious.
Vaclav Cerny broke the deadlock in the 34th minute and he added a second in the 58th minute before the drama with Hagi began.
The Romania midfielder, who was back in the squad for the first time this season after a contract issue was resolved, came off the bench for the second half to make his first appearance since the League Cup game against Morton in August, 2023 before he went on loan to Spanish side Alaves.After setting up Cerny for the second goal, he was initially booked for a foul on Saints striker Benjamin Kimpioka in the 80th minute, before a VAR check saw referee David Dickinson upgrade to a red card.
Clement said: “I had the feeling that there was not much intensity and I had a really big doubt about the red card, but if I see the images, it’s a clear red card.
