BBC pundit calls out Dessers after what he did in Rangers loss v Celtic

Aiden McGeady was left surprised by the fact Cyriel Dessers didn’t offer to take a penalty for Rangers in their Scottish League Cup final against Celtic on Sunday.

The Gers lost the game 5-4 on penalties after a gruelling end-to-end display from both teams as the contest finished 3-3 at the end of 90 minutes.

Ridvan Yilmaz was the culprit behind the Gers losing the final but, in McGeady’s eyes, one of Dessers or Kieran Dowell should have stepped up instead.

“Dessers and Dowell never put themselves forward for a penalty and it was all on Ridvan. He was the only one that missed,” he said on BBC’s Scottish Football Podcast (16 December, 05:18).

“For me that was surprising. I’m wanting my striker, who’s a goalscorer, to be hitting a penalty and not putting the pressure on a left-back.”

Cyriel Dessers and Kieran Dowell should have stepped up for Rangers

Rangers’ attackers have been a thorn in their side for most of the 2024/25 season.

Dowell and Dessers in particular have often left a lot to be desired with their performances and have seen themselves dropped to the bench in recent weeks.

While both were brought on to try and make an impact on the final, the gulf in quality between both teams’ benches was made very evident and was likely one of the reasons the Gers couldn’t turn the game in their favour.

Of course, both teams put up an impressive battle in the 120 minutes that were played but if Dessers or Dowell chose to step up and take a penalty, things could have been far brighter within Ibrox at the moment.

Obviously, nothing can be done about it now but it feels like one of the attackers who were brought on to make an impact should have stepped up to the plate and not allowed that sort of pressure to fall on the head of a young left-back.

In other Rangers news, Leon Balogun has left a BBC commentator in awe after what he did against Celtic.

For more Rangers news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.

The post BBC pundit calls out Dessers after what he did in Rangers loss v Celtic appeared first on Ibrox News.