Cyriel Dessers delivered a moment to remember on his milestone night, scoring a stoppage-time winner to hand Rangers a thrilling 4-3 victory over Dundee FC at Dens Park on Saturday.
The Super Eagles striker’s late heroics capped off an incredible comeback, with Rangers twice clawing their way back from two-goal deficits.
Dundee made a dream start, shocking Rangers with an early opener from Simon Murray in the second minute.
The hosts doubled their advantage in the 19th minute when Joe Shaughnessy found the net.
However, Shaughnessy would later gift Rangers a way back into the game, turning James Tavernier’s cross into his own net just before halftime.
Dessers thought he had leveled the score early in the second half, but his effort was ruled out for offside.
Instead, Dundee restored their two-goal cushion in the 62nd minute through Scott Tiffoney.
Rangers, though, refused to back down. Tavernier struck in the 75th minute to reduce the deficit before Tom Lawrence equalized in the 81st minute, setting up a frantic finale.
With the game seemingly headed for a draw, Dessers took advantage of a defensive lapse in stoppage time.
Dundee defender Aaron Donnelly misjudged a header, allowing the Nigerian striker to pounce and calmly guide the ball past the goalkeeper to complete Rangers’ stunning comeback.
Reflecting on his match-winning strike, Dessers shared his joy in an interview with Rangers TV.
“It was very nice to score so late, but the 90 minutes before that were not that nice. At the end, if you can score like that in your 100th game, it is a very nice feeling. It was an unbelievable moment, scoring an injury-time winner.”
The goal marked Dessers’ 45th for Rangers in 100 appearances since joining the club from Cremonese in 2023.
While his time at Ibrox has had its ups and downs, his crucial contributions continue to underline his importance as Rangers push for silverware.
