Nigerian forward Cyriel Dessers continued his impressive scoring run by netting his 24th goal of the season, but it was not enough to earn Rangers victory as they were held to a 2-2 draw by St. Mirren at The SMISA Stadium on Saturday, Soccernet.ng reports.
Already out of the Scottish Premiership title race following Celtic’s emphatic 5-0 win over Dundee United, Rangers nonetheless produced a spirited performance.
Barry Ferguson’s men took a deserved lead in the 42nd minute when Dessers finished clinically to keep his personal momentum going.
However, the lead was short-lived. St. Mirren responded almost immediately, with Mark O’Hara levelling two minutes later with a stunning volley to send the teams into the break tied at 1-1.
Rangers, undeterred, came out strongly after half-time and regained the lead through Nikolas Raskin’s 52nd-minute strike. But once again, defensive frailties cost them, as Conor McMenamin found the net for St. Mirren with 17 minutes left on the clock to secure a share of the spoils.
Despite Rangers’ late push for a winner, they could not find a way past the resilient hosts. The draw adds to the growing frustrations at Ibrox, with the Glasgow side’s wait for a league title stretching into a fourth year.
Attention now turns to the highly anticipated Old Firm derby on Sunday, May 4, where Rangers will look to salvage pride against newly crowned champions Celtic, who secured their fourth consecutive title in dominant fashion.
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On a personal note, Dessers’ goal further cements his status as one of Nigeria’s most prolific forwards in Europe this season. The 29-year-old now trails Victor Osimhen by just six goals in the race to be Nigeria’s top scorer among players in Europe’s top divisions.
Osimhen, currently on loan at Galatasaray from Napoli, has been in scintillating form, amassing 30 goals and seven assists in just 35 matches for the Turkish giants – a staggering 37 goal contributions.
The former Africa Footballer of the Year could extend his lead when Galatasaray trade tackles with Eyüpspor in their Turkish Super Lig clash on Sunday.
Behind Osimhen and Dessers, Genk’s Tolu Arokodare occupies third place with 20 goals and seven assists, while Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman follows closely with 18 goals and seven assists during another outstanding Serie A campaign.
Dinamo City’s Peter Mandela Itodo rounds out the top five, boasting 18 goals and five assists for Albanian top flight club.