Super Eagles striker Cyriel Dessers picked up a “nasty” injury while taking part in a UEFA Champions League qualification match for his Scottish Premiership side Rangers on Tuesday, Footynaija.com reports.
Rangers rocked up to the Doosan Arena in Plzen, Czech Republic for the second leg of their Champions League qualification tie against Viktoria Plzen buoyed by a three goal cushion from the first leg.
That first leg cushion proved vital in the end as the Light Blues secured safe passage into the next round of qualifying matches despite suffering a 2-1 defeat on the night to set up an interesting tie against Club Brugge.
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However, Rangers’ qualification came at a huge cost with their talismanic striker, Dessers, suffering what his coach Russell Martin later described as a “nasty” injury early in the second half of the game.
The 30-year-old striker hit the turf clutching his ankle after an awkward twist. He was eventually forced to come off and replaced by Danilo with Rangers trailing Viktoria Plzen at that point in the game but still ahead on aggregate.
Russell Martins on Cyriel Dessers’ injury
Speaking to reporters after the game, Martins revealed that Dessers was already in a brace but the extent of the damage still needed to be determined.
“Yeah, it looks a nasty one. So he’s in a brace now,” the former Southampton boss said in quotes revealed by Daily Record.
“We’ll have to just wait and see over the next couple of days, have a scan and see. We’ll keep our fingers crossed it’s not too bad for the big man.”
This latest setback is a huge blow for both Rangers and Dessers as the Super Eagles striker had only just worked his way back into the team after battling some fitness issues during pre-season.
Depending on the severity of his injury, the Unity Cup hero could also be unavailable for Nigeria’s crucial September World Cup qualification matches against Rwanda and South Africa.
