Cyriel Dessers reveals what was said in Rangers dressing room after Benfica defeat

The Ibrox roar was vital in the club’s extraordinary journey to the Europa League Final in 2022, and more of the same volume and enthusiasm from the terraces were required to dethrone Benfica.

Unfortunately, Rangers did not show up. The Portuguese giants were not challenged defensively and advanced thanks to a solitary Rafa Silva goal following a VAR offside check.

Although Rangers’ ball play did not match Benfica’s pace, striker Cyriel Dessers believes the first-team squad gave their all.

He stated that the performance can be looked back on with pride, which was the general feeling within the Ibrox home dressing room following the game.

Cyriel Dessers shares dressing room post-match thoughts

Dessers shared what the players said following the loss on Thursday. According to the Daily Record, he expressed his desire to maintain his current state.

“We have two more months.” It’s one huge shove. We have the international break, and then it’s just keep going.

“We were talking about it in the showers; it was a tremendously intense game versus Benfica. The game was really fast-paced. But everyone can see we’re in great shape, we’re hungry, and we want more.

“We want to keep going and pushing. We will. You can feel the legs after a while, especially against a solid team like Benfica.

“But then you have this chemistry with your fans. They uplift us. You have a corner kick, and you can feel the excitement in the stadium. This gives us the energy to keep going. That is what we need from our fans.

“Staying at the top of the league heading into the international break is huge for us. The good news is that I believe you’ll give an excellent performance on Thursday. Unfortunately, we had to leave Europe, but we did so with a great performance.

“This has to boost our confidence. We need to take the positives from the game and simply go hard again. This season’s top priority is the league. We must do everything to achieve this.

“We have so much to play for this season. We are well aware of this in the locker room. It’s good that this bunch has the experience to carry the momentum from Thursday’s victory into Dundee and repeat.

“If we can bring this level that we’ve shown in Europe to the league and the cup, beautiful things are possible.”

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