Related Post
Cyriel Dessers continued his prolific goal-scoring form on Saturday, becoming the highest-scoring Nigerian player in Europe this season despite Rangers’ 2-1 defeat to Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership, Footynaija.com reports.
The 29-year-old striker notched his 21st goal of the campaign, surpassing Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen to stand alone as Nigeria’s most lethal finisher across Europe’s top leagues.
Rangers came into the match buoyed by a thrilling 4-2 comeback win in Barry Ferguson’s first game in charge.
Facing a Motherwell side with one win in seven games, the Glasgow giants were favourites to claim another victory at Ibrox. However, the visitors stunned the home crowd by racing into a 2-0 lead at halftime through Luke Armstrong and Tom Sparrow’s well-taken strikes.
Ferguson made three halftime changes, introducing Leon Balogun, Tom Lawrence, and Nedim Bajrami to inject fresh energy into the team.
The tactical tweak sparked a Rangers resurgence, with Dessers leading the charge. The Nigerian forward halved the deficit in the 54th minute with a close-range finish, taking his season’s tally to 21 goals in 42 appearances across all competitions.
GOAL! CYRIEL DESSERS HAS SCORED AGAIN!! WHAT A BALLLLLERRR!! pic.twitter.com/KcE40ElR4w
— Ghana Naija Ballers (@GHNaijaBallers) March 1, 2025
Dessers thought he had restored parity 22 minutes later, but his second strike was controversially ruled out for offside following a VAR review — a decision that left Rangers frustrated and handed Motherwell a rare win at Ibrox.
Despite the setback, Dessers’ latest goal puts him ahead of Osimhen, who has scored 20 goals in 27 matches for Galatasaray this season. The Nigerian duo are the only players from the country to hit 20 goals or more ao far in Europe this term.
KRC Genk’s Tolu Arokodare follows closely with 18 goals, while Africa Footballer of the Year Ademola Lookman has 17 goals in 30 games for Atalanta.
Rangers, now 13 points behind Celtic, will look to bounce back in their Europa League tie against Fenerbahçe on Thursday, with Dessers expected to play a key role once again.
