Super Eagles striker Cyriel Dessers scored a late equaliser for Rangers, but his side could not hold on to their lead, as a stoppage-time strike from Bruno Fernandes sealed a 2-1 win for Manchester United at Old Trafford, Soccernet.ng reports.
Rangers travelled to Old Trafford for their penultimate game of the Europa League group stage. Just one point separated both teams going into the tie, as while Manchester United had 12 points, Rangers had 11.
In recent weeks, Nigerian striker Dessers has been relegated to being the second-choice striker at Rangers. The status quo remained unchanged despite his hat-trick against Fraserburgh over the weekend in the Scottish Cup. He started from the bench at Manchester United, with Hamza Igamane leading the frontline for the Gers.
Manchester United were the favourites to claim the win, and they dominated the game from the blast of the whistle. Matthijs de Ligt thought he had scored the opener in the 23rd minute after converting a header, but it was ruled out for offside. The first half was interesting, with both sides getting good looks at goal, but they failed to score.
Nonetheless, the game sparked to life in the second half. Manchester United scored in the 52nd minute, courtesy of an own goal from Jack Butland. After going down, Rangers upped the ante and started pressing more for the equaliser.
Dessers was introduced into the game in the 71st minute as a replacement for Nedim Bajrami. He had his first big chance in the 84th minute when he got a big chance in the box. His strike beat Altay Bayindir, but he was denied by the right post.
However, he was not denied a second time, as he got another opportunity in the 88th minute after a sweet pass from James Tavernier. The Super Eagles star controlled the ball with a sweet touch in front of the box and slotted a brilliant finish into the bottom-right corner to make it 1-1 after 88 minutes.
Osorio, Can Uzun and Rashica hit the top corner Dessers’ touch and finish
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It looked like Dessers’ goal would steal a draw for Rangers, but the Gers were shocked by a late goal from Fernandes to ensure it ended 2-1 in Manchester United’s favour.
The result leaves Manchester United in fourth place with 15 points after seven Europa League games. Meanwhile, Rangers are 13th, with 11 points after seven games. Dessers has now scored in two consecutive games for Rangers, and he will hope that his recent performances buy him a place in the starting eleven in the next game against Dundee United.