'Amazing': Cyriel Dessers raves about Rangers star he thinks did something 'remarkable'
10/02/2024 10:00 AM
With Rangers relying heavily on Cyriel Dessers for goals this season, last week’s Europa League victory over Malmo would have felt all the more satisfying.
During that 2-0 win in Sweden – and on a rare off night for their top scorer – Nedim Bajrami needed less than a minute to open the scoring.
Ok, it wasn’t quite as fast as his record-breaking, 23 second strike against Italy at the summer’s European Championships. But Bajrami was the first to react after Cyriel Dessers hit the post following a dreadful mix up in the Malmo backline.
Dessers lauded Bajrami after Rangers paid Sassuolo £3.5 million on deadline day. Where there are concerns over the Ibrox newbie’s relative lack of pace, he brings craft, guile and an eye for goal to Philippe Clement’s frontline.
But if Bajrami is lacking in the speed department, the same certainly cannot be said of Ross McCausland.
Cyriel Dessers hails Rangers winger Ross McCausland
It was another winger who doubled Rangers’ lead at the Eleda Arena.
Much to the delight of Clement, McCausland showcased just how much he has improved on his weaker side as he fired into the bottom corner with his seldom-used left-boot late on.
Dessers had missed a glorious chance himself to kill the game off a few minutes earlier. So the striker may have felt he owed his young team-mate a debt of gratitude after McCausland succeeded where Dessers and Vaclav Cerny failed.
“I felt that there would be a moment where we would kill it off,” Dessers tells Rangers Review. “And Ross did amazing. He came in very good, sharp [off the bench].
“And it was remarkable, his goal."
Only his second of the season, McCausland has also started just three matches in all competitions throughout 2024/25. With Cerny’s form taking a dip after a lively start in Glasgow, the Northern Ireland international may be hoping that a run of games is his reward for that match-clinching cameo in Scandinavia.
With Lyon to come on Thursday – and the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Olympiakos and Nice looming on the horizon – the three points Rangers secured on the Europa League’s opening matchday could look even more integral in hindsight.
Dessers backs Rangers to shock Lyon at Ibrox
“Yes, these are very, very important points," adds Rangers’ number nine, Dessers hailed by Malmo coach Henrik Rydstrom after leading the line terrifically on the night.
"Malmo is not easy. It’s a good team. You can see it as well in the league, they’re leading. So this is a very good start, but still a lot of work to do, especially if you look at our opponents.
"Lyon are obviously such a big force in France. I've seen some of their highlights. They had some exciting games in the last weeks, so I think it’s going to be an open game again.
"It’s a big team. If you just look at the players there, they have some big names, like Alexandre Lacazette, Wilfred Zaha and Nemanja Matic. These are big names.
“But I think, as a team, we showed last season against Betis and Benfica that we can have very good performances against very good teams."
By winning in Sweden, Rangers added Malmo to an impressive array of European scalps. Feyenoord, FC Porto, Braga, Borussia Dortmund, Real Betis and RB Leipzig are already in the collection.
And there is certainly space on the Ibrox mantelpiece for Lyon, Spurs or Olympiakos.
