Dessers was the epitome of coolness in the fifth minute as he broke the tie in the previous four meetings with Hearts. He then skillfully used the final twelve minutes of regulation time to efficiently seal the win.
However, the Nigerian striker, who cost £4.5 million to acquire from Cremonese in Italy last summer, acknowledged that the criticism he had received earlier in the season had a negative effect on his confidence as he reflected on one of his best performances in a light blue shirt following a well-earned 2-0 victory.
After his double in the 2023–24 season brought his total for club and nation to 20, he commented, “At the start I think it got to me.” He also received the sponsor’s Man of the Match award as a consequence.
The former front man for Utrecht, Genk, and Feyenoord thinks that his ability to handle the pressure of starting at the front of the Rangers line has helped him to perform well in the last third and quiet his sceptics.
He’s sure that his teammates, who took a beating last week following their 3-2 loss to Ross County at the Global Energy Stadium and their 0-0 tie with Dundee at Dens Park in the Premiership title game, have also done the same.
He believed the Viaplay Cup champions, who trail Celtic by three points in the league with five games left, will perform well in the final stretch and win more trophies.
He believes they are the best team in the nation on their day, regardless of where they are in the standings, and he hopes they can prove it.
He remarked, “I’m not sure what the conversation was outside our training ground.” “We were really composed and at ease inside. We had demonstrated our teamwork for months, so we never lost confidence. All we need to do is discover that beat.
It’s critical to turn off the noise. However, we have experienced that after a few months, or for a few guys, a couple of years. These are the weeks when you need to maintain concentrate and tune out outside distractions.
I also gained knowledge from that. I now have everything organised, even mentally. I can now block out noise, and I believe that’s what we should all be doing for the next few weeks.
“It’s not the first time this season, and it hasn’t been easy either. However, we always recover after a tough week or outcome, and we did so again against Hearts.
Naturally, following the last two results, everyone in the nation was watching us and what we were going to do. But I believe it says a lot about this team if you can display this mentality against a strong team at Hampden in a semi-final.
“We have six more games and everything to play for,” Dessers went on. Next weekend marks the opening of a new season, and we know what it takes to be victorious. I hope we can carry that out on the pitch.
“In light of our recent week, the pressure is mounting. We should be pleased with the performance and outcome given that we succeeded in the crucial moments against a strong squad today. We can confidently anticipate the upcoming games. I’d like to see more goals, more victories, and ideally more trophies.
“You can see our capabilities from the past few months. It’s exactly what we need to rediscover this feeling. We are the best squad in the league, in my opinion, if we can regain our rhythm.”
With a tough Premiership encounter against St Mirren in Paisley on Sunday, the 29-year-old won’t be basking in the aftermath of his semifinal double for very long.
He declared, “I’m really happy with the goals.” “It was special to do that in front of our fans at Hampden; it was a beautiful day.” I could have played better today. You have to be content with two goals in a semifinal, but we’re hoping for more.
