Rangers: International media slam Cyriel Dessers after 'terrible' Nigeria footage emerges

Nigerian media have slammed Rangers star Cyriel Dessers for his performance in the 2-0 defeat to Mali as footage emerged on Tuesday 26 March.

It proved a frustrating night for Nigeria and Dessers as they struggled to create many notable chances, and the one clear opportunity they did make was wasted by the Rangers man.

The striker started the game on the bench but was brought on to replace Moses Simon after just 34 minutes, although his substitution did little to inspire his side.

Footage shared by Football View on X [26 March] saw Dessers played through on goal before lacking composure as he blasted his strike over the bar.

Nigerian news outlet All Nigeria Soccer rated his performance a 4/10, writing: "The Rangers striker had a terrible game, missed a glorious opportunity to restore parity for the Super Eagles with the score at 1-0 and didn't worry the Malian defence."

However, Soccernet was slightly less critical of the display as they shared: "Dessers did not get a lot of opportunities, but the big opportunity which he should have taken, he missed it. Aside from that, he was not involved in any other major action," handing him a 6/10 rating.

Rangers' Cyriel Dessers slammed by Nigerian media

The media following this loss were significantly more critical than just days ago when Dessers scored a penalty in the 2-1 friendly victory against Ghana when he was praised for his well-taken finish and partnership with Kelechi Iheanacho.

It has been a mixed season for Dessers at Ibrox since arriving under Michael Beale in last summer's transfer window. Plenty of criticism has been levelled at him for his performances, but after the turn of the year, it looked as if he'd found his place.

More consistency began to emerge in his performances as he found the back of the net more often, but he has now gone five games without a goal for his club since scoring twice in the 5-0 victory against Hearts at Ibrox.

Gary Keown recently insisted Abdallah Sima should replace Dessers for the upcoming Old Firm clash after news emerged that the forward may be fit ahead of the potentially pivotal game in the ongoing SPFL title race.

In other Rangers news, Four Lads have reacted to Ross McCausland's injury blow.

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