Cyriel Dessers has admitted that his long-awaited return to competitive football was tougher than expected, with the Super Eagles striker forced to dig deep before producing the decisive moment that sent Panathinaikos through in their UEFA Conference League qualifying tie, Footynaija.com reports.
The 31-year-old had spent a large part of the past season watching from the sidelines after an injury suffered while on Nigeria duty at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. What initially looked like a major setback became a much longer ordeal, with Dessers eventually undergoing surgery on the tendon injury and missing the remainder of Panathinaikos’ campaign.
His absence was particularly frustrating because his first season in Greece had already been disrupted by another injury. After joining Panathinaikos from Rangers in the summer of 2025, Dessers managed only a handful of appearances before his fitness problems interrupted his attempt to settle at the club.
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He had scored three goals and provided an assist in eight appearances across competitions before the injury ended his season.
That made his return more than just another appearance for the Greek club. Dessers had spent months rebuilding his fitness and working towards the moment when he could finally compete again, and his comeback came in a match where Panathinaikos needed extra time to overcome CSKA 1948 and book their place in the next stage of the Conference League qualifiers.
Dessers opens up on difficult return after eight months out
Dessers was introduced from the bench as Panathinaikos battled through a demanding contest in Sofia, with the game still level after 90 minutes. The extra time meant the Nigerian had to remain on the pitch considerably longer than planned, something that tested him after such a lengthy spell away from competitive football.
He eventually produced the moment Panathinaikos needed, finishing from close range in the fourth minute of added time in extra time to secure a 2-1 victory. The result sent the Greek side through to the Conference League play-off round.
But Dessers’ reaction afterwards showed that the night was not simply about the goal. The striker admitted that he was tired after being asked to play beyond the planned minutes.
“I was out for a long time. We scored a late goal and we went through. The plan was to play a few minutes, the match went to extra time, I’m tired, but I’m happy we qualified. I think in a few weeks I’ll be fully ready,” Dessers said, according to a report by The Sun.
Desser’s recovery is still a work in progress, and the striker himself appears to understand that he cannot rush the final stages.
He looked beyond his own comeback when discussing Panathinaikos’ European campaign, and stressed that qualification rounds in the summer can be particularly demanding because teams are still developing their fitness and understanding early in the season.
“The summer qualifiers are never easy,” Dessers said, explaining that Panathinaikos had to persevere and show up at full intensity even when they could not yet be at their best physically.
