Dessers pushing for first Eagles competitive start

In-form Nigeria striker Cyriel Dessers is making a case for a start in the Super Eagles starting XI ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Benin Republic and Rwanda next month, Punch Sports Extra reports.

The Eagles will host the Cheetahs on September 7 before travelling to face the Amavubi three days later.

Dessers has been a consistent top performer for Glasgow Rangers in the 2024/25 Scottish League after being heavily criticised by the club’s fans throughout the 2023/24 campaign.

The Nigeria striker has hit the ground running this term, scoring five goals and providing one assist in six games, tallying 12 goals in his last 16 Premiership starts.

The 29-year-old forward scored a brace in Rangers’ 6-0 demolition of Ross County on Saturday to move to joint top scorer in the league with three goals in as many games.

Rangers manager Philippe Clement was full of praise for the striker, noting that he is gradually becoming more valuable to the team.

“It’s clear [Dessers] is taking the right steps and becoming more and more important. He’s growing as a player; that’s what we want,” Clement remarked.

With his remarkable start to the season, Dessers may be handed his first starting role for Nigeria, being that other strikers have seen less action since the beginning of the season.

Victor Osimhen is yet to taste a single minute of action this season; the same goes for Victor Boniface, who missed Bayer Leverkusen’s opening Bundesliga game due to suspension. Nottingham Forest’s Taiwo Awoniyi is yet to get back to full fitness after an injury lay-off, while Kelechi Iheancho only made a late cameo appearance for Sevilla in their Spanish La Liga a-1 home loss against Villarreal on Saturday.

Since making his first appearance for Nigeria in 2020 in an international friendly 1-1 draw against Tunisia under Gernot Rohr, Dessers has struggled to break into the Super Eagles due to a litany of attacking options in the squad.He has only earned six caps with two goals to his name.

Incidentally, all his appearances have been in friendly matches, mostly as a substitute.

The 29-year-old was surprisingly omitted from the squad for the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast earlier this year and was again overlooked during the last World Cup qualifying matches under former coach Finidi George.

Dessers’ stats show he has proven his worth at the club level and deserves a chance to shine on the international stage as well.

While the Nigeria Footballer Federation, as at the time of filing this report, hadn’t named a coach for the Eagles ahead of their two crucial games, Dessers should be listed for the games and deservedly handed a starting shirt, irrespective of the coach in charge, finally ending his non-appearance in a competitive game for Nigeria.