Super Eagles striker Cyriel Dessers delivered a stellar performance for Glasgow Rangers as they secured a stunning 3-1 away victory over José Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe in the first leg of their Europa League Round of 16 clash.
Despite Fenerbahçe being the favorites on paper—boasting a renowned manager in Mourinho and star players like Edin Džeko, Sofyan Amrabat, Dušan Tadić, Youssef En-Nesyri, and Filip Kostić—it was the visitors who struck first. The in-form Dessers opened the scoring in the seventh minute, setting the tone for an impressive Rangers display.
Fenerbahçe found an equalizer in the 30th minute through Alexander Djiku, who had come on as an early substitute for the injured Çağlar Söyüncü. However, Dessers was instrumental once again, providing the assist for Václav Černý’s goal in the 42nd minute, restoring Rangers’ lead before halftime.
Despite dominating possession, Fenerbahçe struggled to break down a resolute Rangers defense. Their hopes of a comeback were dealt a major blow when Černý doubled his tally in the 81st minute, sealing a remarkable 3-1 victory for the Scottish side.
Dessers came close to a hat-trick, but two of his goals were ruled out for offside by the finest of margins.
With this performance, the Nigerian forward now has three goals in nine Europa League appearances this season and an impressive 22 goals in 43 games across all competitions for Rangers.
Super Eagles right-back Bright Osayi-Samuel as well as Brazil midfielder Fred’s unavailability was felt in the game. Both players served a yellow card suspension. They will both be available for the second leg next week.
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