Nigerian forward Cyriel Dessers delivered a sensational performance as Rangers secured a commanding 3-1 victory over Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce in their Europa League Round of 16 first leg in Turkey.
Dessers scored one and assisted another, helping the Scottish side take a huge step toward the quarterfinals. However, his night could have been even more remarkable, as two of his goals were ruled out by VAR.
Speaking to UEFA.com after the match, Dessers expressed his excitement:
“It’s a very nice feeling to score in a stadium like this. For the first goal, I just saw the ball drop between the defender and the goalkeeper, and that’s one of those moments as a striker when you have to be sharp.”
The Nigerian striker capitalized on a defensive error to open the scoring, but Fenerbahce equalized through Alexander Djiku. Dessers then turned provider, assisting Vaclav Cerny to restore Rangers’ lead before Cerny grabbed his second in the 82nd minute to seal the win.
Despite Fenerbahce’s attacking changes in the second half, Rangers defended resolutely while exploiting counterattacks to their advantage.
With 21 goals and five assists this season, Dessers’ form is making a strong case for a Super Eagles recall ahead of Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
“We can be very happy with this evening. It will not be easy to handle them again next week, but you see that we can hurt any team on the counterattack,” he added.
Rangers will now look to finish the job at Ibrox in the second leg and book their place in the Europa League quarterfinals.
