By Monsurah Olatunji
Nigeria international Cyriel Dessers was the standout performer as Rangers cruised to a 5-0 victory over Highland League side Fraserburgh in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup, securing theirplace in the fifth round with a dominant display.
The 30-year-old striker netted a hat-trick to lead his team to a comprehensive win, with additional goals coming from Clinton Nsiala and Ross McCausland.
Dessers, who had fallen out of favor as Rangers’ first-choice striker since the arrival of Hamza Igamane in November 2024, made the most of his opportunity in the starting lineup and delivered a clinical performance.
Dessers opened the scoring in the 27th minute, converting from a James Tavernier corner, giving Rangers a 1-0 lead at halftime.
Despite Fraserburgh’s determination, despite being ninth in their league and without a match since December, Rangers showed their class in the second half.
Nsiala doubled the lead in the 52nd minute with a deflected shot, and Dessers struck again five minutes later to make it 3-0.
McCausland added a fourth in the 75th minute before Dessers completed his hat-trick in stoppage time, sealing a dominant 5-0 win for the Scottish giants.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
