Tag: Dessers

  • Dessers bemoans Rangers Scottish Cup final loss

    Dessers bemoans Rangers Scottish Cup final loss

    Super Eagles attacker, Cyriel Dessers, is unhappy  after  Rangers were unable to match Celtic’s  intensity again following their defeat in the Scottish Cup final.

    The Gers were unable to beat  their arch rivals, Celtic, in any of the five fixtures they played this just concluded season having lost again last weekend to the Hoops 1-0 at the Hampden Park.

    Celtic also beat Philippe Clement’s side to the Scottish Premiership title.

     “Everybody is devastated. We were close and we played a good game. It wasn’t an easy game and if you lose it that way in the end then obviously it hurts,” Dessers said.

     “It’s been a heavy season, that’s for sure in all kinds of ways. It’s easy to all go down now in energy and everyone needs to take a rest. But to see them celebrate today and 10 days ago gives me a lot of energy to go again this summer.

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     “It may be seems weird to say now but I cannot wait for pre-season to start again and to do better than this season. I’m looking forward to that.”

     “Asked if that feeling will push Gers on for next season, he added: “Yes, that’s it. We have to turn things over in our favour. We’re on a good path but we’re not there yet.

     “If you look at the balance at the end of the season we showed good things but we’re not there yet. We will go further along that path and I’m sure it will lead us to more trophies next season.”

    Despite Rangers unimpressive season, Dessers helped them to the Scottish League Cup title scoring 19 goals from 50 games in all competitions with seven assists.

  • Dessers scores consolation goal for Rangers

    Dessers scores consolation goal for Rangers

    Cyriel Dessers has netted his 21st goal of the season, but Rangers still lost 2-1 to local rivals Celtic, who now have opened a six-point gap at the top of the Scottish table.

    Read Also: Dessers eager to keep scoring for Rangers

    Table toppers Celtic opened scoring in the 35th minute and three minutes later they doubled their lead, before Dessers pulled a goal back for Rangers on 40 minutes.

  • Rangers’  coach hails  Dessers over brace against Hearts

    Rangers’  coach hails  Dessers over brace against Hearts

    Rangers manager Philippe Clement has  heaped praises on striker Cyriel Dessers  after the Nigeria International striker grabbed  a brace  against Hearts to set up the Old Firm derby in the Scottish Cup final.

    Dessers struck in the 5th  and 78th  minutes to send the Gers to their 53rd Scottish Cup final. They won the 33rd  title in 2022.

    The Nigerian who saw action throughout the duration of the game would be eyeing a second domestic Cup competition later in the season in the Scottish Cup having won the Scottish League Cup with Rangers in December last year beating Aberdeen.

    All season, Dessers has copped criticism from both pundits and Rangers fans alike, with questions raised particularly over his ability in front of goal.

    However, he now has 19 goals in all competitions, and he came up with the goods when it mattered on the biggest of stages.

    Read Also: Dessers snubbed by Rangers for Player of Season Award

    The good and bad of the Nigerian were both on show at Hampden. He picked up wonderful positions, roughed up opposition defenders, while also missing several chances alongside his two goals.

    “These last six months have been the best six months of Cyriel’s career, and we’ll keep pushing him on,” Clement was quoted as saying after the match, “He’s honest, he works really hard for the team. He’s scoring a lot of goals. Can he make more goals? Yes, but I don’t know any striker in the world who scores all their chances.

    “We are in a title chase, we are in a cup final, and we are really hungry for more trophies.”

    Yesterday, the  Nigeria international opened the scoring inside five minutes with a low left-footed shot under Craig Gordon, and his deflected effort made sure of the result late on after his initial shot was saved.

    Hearts had their moments in attack, but lacked the necessary quality and composure to breach a Rangers defence that had wobbled in recent weeks.

     Rangers will face fierce rival, Celtic in the final after Brendan Rodgers’ men scraped through to the final following their penalty kicks win over Aberdeen in the semi-final played on Saturday.

  • Dessers snubbed by Rangers for Player of Season Award

    Dessers snubbed by Rangers for Player of Season Award

    Scottish giants Rangers have left out Super Eagles striker Cyriel Dessers from a five-man shortlist for their prestigious Player of the Season Award.

    Dessers has scored 17 goals so far this season in all competitions for the Scottish club, 13 in the league, one in the league cup, one in the FA Cup game, and one each in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League games.

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    However, Dessers has one of his goals – a stunning solo goal during a Europa League clash with Real Betis shortlisted for the Goal of the Season Award.

  • Rangers 3-1 Kilmarnock: Dessers’ assist  propels Gers home win

    Rangers 3-1 Kilmarnock: Dessers’ assist  propels Gers home win

    Super Eagles attacker Cyriel Dessers recorded his second assist of the season in the Scottish Premier League as Rangers defeated Kilmarnock 3-1 at the Ibrox Park.

    The win came just three days after the excruciating 2-1 loss to Celtic at the Celtic Park and Dessers helped set them on the path of victory after he laid the final pass for the Gers’ opener in the 41st minute through Ross McCausland before Abdallah Sima and Todd Cantwell in the 45th  and 61st  minutes. Daniel Armstrong reduced the tally for Kilmarnock in the 58th minute from the penalty spot.

    Dessers who was overlooked in the Super Eagles list to the 2023 African Cup of Nations has played in 17 SPL games with six goals and two assists.

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    He was replaced in the 70th  minute by newly signed Favio Silva, who is on loan from Wolves until the end of the season.

    The win has helped to cut Celtic’s lead at the top to eight points with 46 points from 20 games having played two games fewer than Celtic who are atop with 54 points from 22 games after a routine 3-0 away win home to Kilmarnock.

  • Dessers tips Rangers for glory on all fronts

    Dessers tips Rangers for glory on all fronts

    Super Eagles forward Cyriel Dessers  wants Rangers to excel on all fronts remains his objective this season after he grabbed his fifth league goal of the season last weekend in their 3-1 win over Dundee.

    Dessers started his 11th  league game of the season  and opened the scoring before James Tavernier and Abdallah Sima added theirs to secure the points.

    Speaking to the club’s website Dessers said: “There’s something building and growing and that gives us energy. It doesn’t matter for us which eleven names are on the sheet before the game we will need everybody.

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    “The guys who came in were really good if you see Dujon [Sterling] in an unusual position but he played an amazing game and as a team we can be really proud of that.

     “We will need everybody it is a long season at Rangers you play a lot of games, we want to compete on every level so we will need everybody, and I am happy to see that everybody gives their all for the team and can perform in our team.”

    On his goal, Dessers continued: “It was a ball that fell to Todd [Cantwell], he played me in between first and I tried a shot, it got blocked and then it fell in front of my feet.

     “I hit it hard with my left foot and I saw it go in. It is amazing to score at Ibrox. It is an amazing feeling in front of our fans in the corner there and it was a really nice moment.”

    The win saw Philippe Clement’s men increase their unbeaten run to 12 games in all competitions as they reduced the gap between them and league leaders, Celtic to five points. They are second with 37 points.

  • Dessers admits intense fight for Super Eagles shirts

    Dessers admits intense fight for Super Eagles shirts

    Rangers’ striker Cyriel Dessers hasn’t quite hit the ground running since arriving in Glasgow in the summer but there are signs of improvement.

    The 28-year old will have to go up another couple of notches though if he is to achieve his dream of playing in the African Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire with Nigeria and the chance to partner Victor Osimhen.

    The Rangers number nine has been deposed from the starting role that was almost guaranteed under Michael Beale, however, Dessers is still hoping for international recognition.

    With one goal in four caps, Dessers is far from being a regular for his country and has been ignored previously when he has been in significantly better form.

    Giving an interview in Belgium, Rangers striker Dessers explained why he might be in with an outside chance.

    Read Also: Dessers backed for Rangers success

    “The last few times I was in the Nigeria pre-selection squad, but not in the final selection.

    “If you look at the other strikers and the form that they are in, I can understand that.

    “We have a few players competing to be the third or fourth striker and then it depends on form. The competition in Nigeria is absurd.

    “I could have chosen to play for Belgium, but I am very happy with my choice. I have already experienced fantastic moments.

    “My first international goal, in front of a hundred thousand spectators against Mexico in Dallas, is a moment I will never forget.”

    With five goals and three assists in 20 appearances, Dessers has hardly been prolific.

  • Dessers backed for Rangers success

    Dessers backed for Rangers success

    Lee McCulloch reckoned Cyriel Dessers can become a big player for Rangers with the way he took his Hibs goal catching the eye of the former Ibrox skipper.

    Michael Beale brought the striker in this summer as he invested heavily in a new look frontline for the Light Blues that includes the captures of Danilo, Sam Lammers and Abdallah Sima on loan.

    The Nigerian international showed real composure to slot the ball beyond former Scotland international and Hibs No1 David Marshall and that moment showed Jig that there is something in his locker that the Rangers coaching team can work with.

    Discussing Dessers and Lammers, he told the Scottish Sun: “They’re both just new into the club, so everyone has to cut them some slack and give them a break.

    “There’s been a change of manager since they arrived and they’re still not used to the demands of the club. Dessers seems to be getting more stick than anyone and I’d say it’s up to the dressing room to get around him and rally round.

    Read Also: Dessers completes Rangers big win

    “When you look at his finish at the weekend, he showed real composure to calmly slot the ball past Davie Marshall. To do that when he’s under pressure says a lot, because I’ve been there myself and it’s a horrible position to be in.

    “But that showed me there’s something there that can be worked with. It’s up to the players and fans to stick by Dessers because the manager has already backed him. That was one of the things he said in his post-match interviews, talking him up for his overall performance.

    “If everyone else can now throw their arm around his shoulder and help him, then he may just become a big player for the team in the months to come. And I’d say it’s the same with Lammers.”

  • Dessers completes Rangers big win

    Dessers completes Rangers big win

    Rangers thrashed Hibernian 4-0 today with Super Eagles striker Cyriel Dessers completing the rout.

    Dessers scored his team’s fourth goal with 10 minutes to the end of this home game.

    It was his second league goal for his new club.

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    Rangers remain in second place on 18 points from nine matches, four points adrift of leaders and bitter rivals Celtic.

  • Rangers coach laments Dessers’ poor form

    Rangers coach laments Dessers’ poor form

    Rangers boss Michael Beale has admitted that striker Cyriel Dessers is ‘below the level’ he would ideally want at Ibrox.

    Michael Beale is a man under immense pressure with Rangers falling to a 3-1 home defeat at the hands of Aberdeen.

    This was a bleak day for Rangers and fans weren’t shy in letting Beale know that this just isn’t good enough.

    Rangers are already seven points behind Celtic with just seven games played and Beale looks like a man on the brink.

    A key factor here is that Rangers’ summer investment just isn’t paying dividends.

    Too many of Beale’s additions just aren’t performing and nobody quite sums that up more than Cyriel Dessers.

    Rangers paid considerable money to sign Dessers from Salernitana over the summer.

    The Nigerian striker had scored goals for a number of clubs and Beale pushed for Rangers to sign him, excepting immediate goals from an experienced striker.

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    Dessers has notched three goals and three assists in 13 games, which isn’t a dreadful record, but his performances have been poor.

    Rangers had a golden chance inside the first three minutes against Aberdeen as James Tavernier played Dessers in on goal.

    Dessers seemed to lose all composure though and ballooned his shot well over the crossbar.

    Dessers was substituted in the second half with Rangers fans ultimately left wondering just why Beale spent so much money on him.

    Beale was asked about Dessers after the game, telling Rangers Review that the striker simply isn’t in the best form of his career, adding Dessers has proven himself before but is ‘below the level’ at Rangers right now, with the Gers needing much more up top.

    “He’s not living in the best moment of his career,” said Beale. “He has twice been top scorer in Eredivisie and top scorer in the Conference League at Feyenoord but he’s found it difficult. I’m sure given time he will show his quality but it’s fair he’s below the level he’d like to be,” he added.

    “Be that as it may, it wasn’t a bad one, give it to the team, we can always improve on what we have built”, stated the ex-Sunshine Stars coach, who expressed  happiness that his team was able to pick the three maximum points.