Tom English baffled by what Cyriel Dessers did for Rangers v Fenerbahce
Cyriel Dessers has been in the spotlight for Rangers all season, and it was no different in their Europa League clash with Fenerbahce.
Given the failures domestically this season, Rangers will be aware of the need for Europa League success and with 90 minutes to be played, they have given themselves an excellent chance of progressing through to the next round.
Barry Ferguson led his side to a remarkable 3-1 victory, though it could have been a very different story after Rangers had two goals disallowed for offside.
With that said, Dessers was on the scoresheet again for the Light Blues, alongside Vaclav Cerny, but another incident involving the striker left Tom English confused.
Dessers leaves English scratching his head after Rangers goal
Not only did Dessers open the scoring for Rangers, but he played an influential role in the second of the night, getting in behind the Fenerbahce defence before playing a tidy ball into the box for Cerny to finish.
Though it was that exact moment that caused English plenty of confusion based on the failures of Rangers throughout the current season.
Speaking via Sportsound (6 March, 6:36pm), English said: “You’ve got to be joking me. A team that has struggled horribly domestically all season has just scored another pearler in Europe.
| Fenerbahce v Rangers | Goals | Shots | xG | Possession |
| Fenerbahce | 1 | 22 | 1.76 | 64% |
| Rangers | 3 | 8 | 1.33 | 36% |
“What a goal that is. Cyriel Dessers’ ball to Cerny is so, so good, and the finish is ice cool. I’ve always been a Dessers admirer despite his legion of critics. It’s always about what he can’t do instead of what he does.
“The guy has 22 goals (again) this season, and he’ll get to 30-plus. And that’s another assist. What a performance from Rangers. Engrossing.”
Dessers has certainly had an excellent season, though performances like this often raise the question as to what could be if he were able to maintain consistency more often.
Barry Ferguson makes statement in Istanbul
The main thing for Rangers was to come away from Istanbul with their chances of progressing to the quarter-final intact, and they have done just that and more.
An away encounter against the Turkish giant can be a test for even the best of teams across Europe, but the Light Blues were able to frustrate the home crowd and play their own game, securing a huge two goal advantage.
Performances in Europe have not been a concern for Rangers this season, though it makes the failures domestically even more frustrating when you can see just how good this side can be.
Neverthless, Rangers can look forward to the reverse fixture knowing that they will be the side with the home advantage this time, with one foot already in the next round.