Soccer
Coach Russell Martin during the Champions League 3rd qualifying round, 1st leg, Rangers Vs Viktoria Plzen Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow. [Photo Credit/ ImagoxColinxPoultney].
Rangers head coach Russell Martin has revealed the injury status of Super Eagles striker Cyriel Dessers following his side’s loss to Viktoria Plzen, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Scottish manager was appointed as the Gers tactician back in June, but has had a tough start to his career at Ibrox.
Rangers lost to Viktoria Plzen in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League qualifier, but were able to make it to the next qualification round, where they’ll face Club Brugge.
We will play Club Brugge KV in the UEFA Champions League Play-Off.
First-Leg | Home | Tuesday 19th August | 20:00 BST
Second-Leg | Away | Wednesday 27th August | 20:00 BST pic.twitter.com/cWxMSvr5ul
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) August 12, 2025
However, the manager was displeased with his team’s attitude at the Doosan Arena last night as they didn’t create enough chances. It wasn’t Martin’s first time urging his new side to put in more grit.
“I am disappointed we lost, and I am disappointed with how many chances we gave up,” the 39-year-old said in quotes revealed by Glasgow Times.
“I think so much of it comes from just being so loose with the ball. We were playing against a team that had nothing to lose, who really committed so many numbers, four on the top line, with a heavy press.
“We played through the press a lot in the first half, got into their final third a lot, then just turned the ball over.”
Soccer Latest on Cyriel Dessers‘ injury
The coach’s concerns were not limited to the match alone. Cyriel Dessers almost required a stretcher before being helped off the pitch after a fall, with a potential knee injury, and Russell Martin admitted it could be serious, pending a scan.
“Yes, it looks like a nasty one, so he’s in a brace now,” the 39-year-old said in quotes revealed by Glasgow Times.
“We’ll have to just wait and see over the next couple of days, have a scan and see. We’ll keep our fingers crossed it’s not too bad for a big man.”
Looking ahead to their forthcoming Champions League qualifiers against Club Brugge, Martin acknowledged the need for significant improvement in his team.
“If we don’t show a bit more care and quality on the ball, I think we will struggle against anyone.
“They’re a good team, it’ll be a tough game, but I believe that especially at Ibrox – and I think we’ll play at home first – that can be really powerful for us.
“We have to really embrace the challenge, so I’m excited about it.
“You expect the level of competition to be good now we’re through to this stage, but we’ll be in it, and we will do our very best to win and put in a performance that we’re really happy with to set up the second leg,” the ex-Southampton coach concluded.
Rangers will play against Club Brugge at the Ibrox Stadium next Tuesday, while the second leg will be played at the Jay Breydel Stadion in Belgium on the 26th of August.
Adefolahan Guerreiro
Adefolahan is a multilingual journalist and writer at Soccernet Nigeria.
With a track record of involvement in College sports, Adefolahan is focused on crafting engaging football content and utilising his language skills and extensive sports knowledge to enhance content accessibility for a global audience.
He has interviewed Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.
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