- Cyriel Dessers has shown why he deserves a national team invite ahead of the forthcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers
- The Nigerian international was on the scoresheet as Scottish club Rangers beat Fenerbahce in Istanbul in the Europa League
- Dessers found the back of the net on three occasions in the encounter, but two of those goals were chalked off by offside calls
Nigerian international Cyriel Dessers has put his hand up for selection ahead of the Super Eagles' next World Cup qualifiers later this month.
The 30-year-old was on the scoresheet as Scottish club Rangers defeated Turkish giants Fenerbahce in Istanbul on Tuesday, March 6, 2025.
During an intense Europa League tie, Dessers recorded his 21st goal this season against Jose Mourinho's side, showing his class on attack.
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Rangers took the lead in just the sixth minute, with Fenerbache failing to clear the ball inside their goal box.
Ivorian star Mohamed Diomande took advantage and passed to Dessers, who was on target from a tight angle.
As Sky Sports reported, goal-line technology showed the ball had crossed the line and the goal was given.
Fenerbahce equalised in the 30th minute when Alexander Djiku scored after Rangers failed to clear a corner.
12 minutes later, however, Vaclav Cerny restored the visitors' lead thanks to a brilliant through pass by Dessers.
Dessers thought he had made it 3-1 in the 51st minute after Fenerbahce keeper Nicolas Raskin parried a shot into the striker's path.
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He made no mistake netting the ball but after a lengthy Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review, the goal was ruled out due to a player offside.
Guardian reported that it was the same scenario in the 58th minute when another of the Nigerian striker's efforts was ruled out for offside.
However, the third goal for Rangers seemed to be inevitable as Cerny completed his brace with another fine finish with nine minutes left.
With his goal and the two attempts that were ruled out for offside, Dessers has proven himself a contender for the Super Eagles No. 9 shirt.
Dessers to battle Osimhen for No.9 shirt
After 21 goals this season, Dessers is the man who could go head-to-head with Victor Osimhen for the main scoring duties.
The former Genk striker has been named in Nigeria coach Eric Chelle's 39-man provisional list for their two matches.
The Super Eagles risk missing out on the 2026 FIFA World Cup should they drop points against Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
Dessers has earned six international caps and has registered two goals to his name, and Nigeria could bank on his talents.
Chelle to drop Boniface and Chukwueze?
Legit.ng earlier reported that Bayer Leverkusen forward Victor Boniface and AC Milan star Samuel Chukwueze could be dropped by Super Eagles coach Chelle.
Chelle is expected to trim down his squad to 23 and it was reported that the manager is taking measures to earn maximum points in the crucial World Cup qualifiers.
It was claimed that Boniface and Chukwueze would be excluded, ahead of Nigeria travelling to face Rwanda on March 21 before hosting Zimbabwe four days later.
