£5m Rangers hitman’s turnaround reaches new peak after painful path to Old Firm glory moment

Ryan Naderi had spent much of the week battling a painful and swollen ankle, but the Rangers striker never considered allowing an injury to keep him out of Sunday’s Old Firm showdown at Parkhead.

 

The Czech forward was still feeling the effects of Mika Baur’s heavy challenge seven days prior and manager Derek McInnes had admitted beforehand that Naderi’s ankle was “a mess”. Yet when the first domestic Old Firm fixture of the season arrived, the 23-year-old was determined to play his part.

He did considerably more than that, producing a commanding display before scoring the only goal of the game in the 33rd minute to secure three valuable Premiership points and complete an dramatic turnaround in his fortunes.

It was Naderi’s fourth goal of the campaign and, given the significance of the occasion, potentially his most important since arriving at the club from Hansa Rostock in January. The pain that had followed him through the week was a distant memory by the final whistle.

 

 

 

“Of course, it was hurting throughout the week,” he admitted. “But I mean, these games, especially if you have a break afterwards – you just can’t miss them. My ankle is still a bit thick so I was carrying it all week before the game. But I knew we had a break afterwards so now I can recover.”

Away fans absence a unique experience for Naderi

There was one obvious downside. Naderi would have preferred to celebrate his winner in front of thousands of Rangers supporters rather than in the stunned silence of a Celtic-dominated stadium.

His goal came after Viljami Sinisalo spilled Kim Min-su’s driven effort, leaving Naderi with a straightforward finish. Celtic Park fell silent as his team-mates raced towards him in celebration.

 

Even then, the striker was reluctant to claim all the glory, insisting the strike itself was less important than the collective performance which produced the victory.

 

“Yeah, it’s true that it was a strange feeling when the stadium went silent,” he admitted. “Obviously, it’s a lot nicer when you have your fans who celebrate with you.