Every word Dessers said on Rangers' draw v Dundee, playing with 10 men, Viktoria Plzen

A stoppage-time equaliser from James Tavernier salvaged a point for ten-man Rangers in a 1-1 draw with Dundee in a Scottish Premiership clash at Ibrox on Saturday evening but the drama did not end there. 

Cyriel Dessers thought he had snatched all three points for the Light Blues with virtually the last kick of the game, slamming home from close range to spark wild celebrations. 

Moments later, however, the joy turned to disbelief as a VAR review ruled out the goal, leaving Rangers to settle for a share of the spoils.

Speaking to Rangers TV after the match, Dessers admitted it was a difficult result to accept while acknowledging that the performance had some encouraging aspects.

"I think we didn’t play a bad first half. It was good without being top, we needed to create more open chances and then second half, in the first 15 minutes, we made it very difficult for ourselves," Dessers said. 

"After that we showed a very good reaction, kept going until the end, but we needed to start the game as we played the last 30 minutes."

The Nigerian international, who had scored and assisted in midweek in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round first leg, was substituted with 15 minutes remaining in a 3-0 victory over Viktoria Plzen.

He stressed that Rangers' standards require consistent focus in every fixture.

"You know how it works at Rangers, they always have the next games and they are all important games. 

"You can expect with a league game against Dundee at home, we have to be better prepared for that.

"We were prepared but in the first few minutes of the second half we switched off a little bit and that cost us.”

Despite the disappointment, Dessers took encouragement from the team's resilience in playing with a man less.

"The fact that we showed a reaction, that even with 10 against 11, we pushed them back, we had the chance at the end. We kept pushing, not giving up — that can be the only positive from this.

"For the next games, you have to stick to your plan, keep doing the things that are asked and if you can combine that with a top mentality, then I am sure the wins will come soon because we showed it already this week. 

"But we have to be more consistent, and show it on Tuesday or Wednesday, and on Saturday or Sunday again.”

When asked whether the result could prove a turning point in Rangers’ domestic campaign, Dessers was cautious.

"It’s very early to talk about a turning point, but it needs to get better than this. 

"That’s clear, we don’t want to start the league with two results like this. So we need to start winning, there is no other way to phrase it.”

Rangers now turn their focus to the Czech Republic for the second leg of their Champions League third qualifying round against Viktoria Plzen, with Dessers warning that the job is far from complete.

"No, of course. In Europe, it’s always dangerous, especially in away games, so we just need to go there with the mentality to score a goal. If we score a goal, I think we will be very close.

“We need to be aggressive, front foot, go at them and hopefully score soon."

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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