St Mirren 1-2 Rangers: Cyriel Dessers keeps title hopes alive with winner in Paisley

Cyriel Dessers secured a crucial 2-1 victory for Rangers against St Mirren, keeping their hopes of winning the Scottish Premiership title alive with a late header.

Philippe Clement's team was behind Celtic by three points, so they needed to win to have a chance at getting back the trophy from their rivals.

James Bolton from St Mirren accidentally scored an own goal, giving the opponents the lead. However, Mikael Mandron swiftly responded with an impressive header that bounced off the post and tied the game.

Stephen Robinson's team had opportunities to score before Dessers made a crucial header from James Tavernier's assist in a thrilling competition for the title.

After the game, Rangers are now on an equal footing with Celtic in the rankings before their match in Dundee on Sunday. Meanwhile, St Mirren remain in fifth place as they strive to secure a place in the European leagues for the upcoming season.

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Rangers Stay In Title Race

Despite already securing a top-six finish, St Mirren still have a lot at stake. They started the game off strong, with Mandron having the first chance, but it was swiftly denied by a good save from Jack Butland in the first minute.

Rangers player John Lundstram took a chance by attempting to score from the boundary of the box, but unfortunately, his curving shot missed the goal post.

The action was continuous, with Mandron taking a shot that Butland had to save again just a few minutes later. Soon after that, Dessers took a shot that Hemming had to block.

Hemming made another quick response to keep the game tied. He blocked Lundstram's attempt to hit the ball into the goal and then stopped Tavernier's shot from far away.

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At the thirty-minute mark, St Mirren had the opportunity to take the lead. However, Conor McMenaman missed his chance by shooting the ball over the goal from a short distance. Rangers capitalized on this missed opportunity and scored just a few moments later with a goal by Bolton, who unfortunately put the ball into his own net.

When Borna Barisic sent a cross into the box, Mohamed Diomande used his head to redirect it towards the goal. As the ball traveled, it ultimately came into contact with a Bolton player, who inadvertently helped push it over the line. Meanwhile, Dessers was making his way towards the play, but was unable to make an impact.

St Mirren made a comeback and managed to even out the score shortly after. A header from Mandron hit the inner part of the goalpost and then went into the net, resulting in a score of 1-1.

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They had a good chance to score right before the end of the first half, but Butland made an excellent save to stop Bolton's shot from close range.

In the latter half of the game, both teams had opportunities to score. Cantwell almost scored for Rangers while O'Hara of St Mirren also came close to scoring.

The Rangers team began to have more control of the ball and were able to score another goal thanks to Dessers, who hit the ball into the net from a short distance, bringing the score to 2-1.

"Tavernier passed the ball precisely to the far post, and the Nigerian striker headed it in for his 20th goal of the season, with only 15 minutes left on the clock."

Winning Is Clement's Main Objective

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In an interview with Sky Sports, Philippe Clement, who is the manager of Rangers, made a statement.

We managed to secure the three points that were necessary.

It's a tough destination to visit, as they have already achieved success this season and are fully committed to the battle with nothing to lose.

We had opportunities to increase our score, while they had their own chances but Jack [Butland] managed to stop some great shots. However, in the end, what mattered the most was winning and we were able to secure three important points.

In my opinion, in order to achieve victory in competitions, it's essential to have a proficient goalkeeper and a forward who is capable of scoring a sufficient number of goals.

It's not just Cyriel [Dessers] who's been finding the back of the net - he's already hit the 20-goal mark, which is certainly an impressive feat. However, we're not solely fixated on Cyriel racking up goals; he also needs to contribute in other ways.

"Desser's Mindset: A Key Factor"

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The experts from Sky Sports, namely Kris Boyd, James McFadden and Charlie Mulgrew, had a conversation regarding the crucial role Cyriel Dessers plays in the competition for the championship.

"He has faced criticism for not taking advantage of opportunities. However, he was added to the team alongside individuals such as Sam Lammers and Danilo. Despite missing some chances, he has managed to score goals at the same time."

He has taken on the responsibility for Rangers and has fulfilled it well. He has shown courage and determination, and has achieved another victory today.

"He's quite difficult to handle and he's determined to end the season on a high note by winning some trophies."

For Cyriel Dessers, the most important aspect is that he persists in taking chances, despite missing some. He consistently positions himself for opportunities and stays in the game.

He has earned his prize, scoring 20 goals is a satisfactory outcome despite the amount of negative comments he has received this season.

If you observed him without any knowledge of his scoring record and based your evaluation on other's viewpoints, you would assume he hasn't scored any goals. However, he has successfully accumulated 20 goals, and that is undoubtedly a remarkable accomplishment.

Having the right character is important if you want to play for Celtic or Rangers, and I believe Dessers' mindset is crucial.

"He's aware of the criticism he's receiving and is feeling the weight of expectations from the Rangers supporters. It's truly impressive that he managed to score 20 goals despite this pressure."

The football match is scheduled to start at 12:00pm on Sunday, May 5th and game play will commence at 1:00pm.

St Mirren will resume playing on May 4th against Dundee, with the match starting at 3pm.

The next Scottish Premiership game for Rangers is against Kilmarnock, and it will take place at their home ground on May 5th. You can watch it live on Sky Sports, and the match will start at 1pm.

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