Cyriel Dessers is playing for the Rangers badge on his chest. Now he wants the Champions League emblem on his arm.
The striker stands just 90 minutes away from the achievement of his first major ambition this season, from the realisation of a boyhood dream. Rangers are within touching distance of the group stage.
The chance to compete at the highest echelon of the game is one that the majority of players do not get in their careers. Indeed, it is one that Dessers has waited some time for and the opportunity that now presents itself was one of the main factors in the decision that saw him join Michael Beale’s side from Cremonese this summer.
That would have been true for many of those that Beale recruited. This is a fixture that offers huge financial rewards but it is all about the football for a manager, a squad and a staff that have domestic titles to win as well as continental ambitions to strive for in the coming weeks and months.
Rangers head into the second leg of their play-off against PSV Eindhoven with it all to play for in the tie and history within their grasps. Dessers needs no reminding about the significance of the fixture in personal terms or what it could do for a side that are building momentum with each performance and result.
“It would mean the world,” Dessers said. “Of course, we have several goals this season but this is our first big goal. As a kid, I remember when I was in the Chelsea fans store and I used to ask my parents if I could put a Champions League badge on the shirt.
“Now I want it on my own shirt. I know what I am playing for. It is a childhood dream and we are 90 minutes away from that so I hope we can get a good outcome.
“Our season doesn’t start or doesn’t end on Wednesday. But it would be a massive boost, that is for sure.”
Rangers have given themselves every chance ahead of their date with destiny at the Philips Stadion. For the second time in as many seasons, they head to Holland with victory in their sights on the back of a draw at Ibrox.
The situation could have been even more encouraging for Beale’s side but PSV showed their quality and their character to twice come from behind as goals from Abdallah Sima and Rabbi Matondo were ultimately not enough to secure a first leg lead.
Rangers have shown that they can compete with Peter Bosz’s side. Now they must prove that they can beat them and earn their place amongst the European elite once again.
“It was a little bit of a mixed feeling,” Dessers said of the mood following the 2-2 draw on Tuesday evening. “On one hand, you play against a really good team like PSV and I think we put in a good performance.
“In big parts of the game, we had control. On the other hand, if you score twice at home at the play-off round of the Champions League then it would be perfect if you could go into the second leg with an advantage. But, OK, this is football and we have everything to play for in the second leg.
“I think that those are the good things that we have to take from this game. If you see PSV, they are a very good and experienced team. They have players worth £50million, for example, and they spent a lot of money.
“But we showed that we, as a team, can be on the same level and I hope that we can do the same in the second leg and hopefully a little more.”
It is not just a side that is full of pace, power and potential that Rangers must overcome on Wednesday evening. Winning the battle on the park is one thing, but being able to silence the home crowd is quite another.
Rangers received a red hot welcome at the Philips Stadion last August as supporters swarmed the team bus. Smoke and flares filled the air and Giovanni van Bronckhorst was left incensed that kick-off was not delayed despite the significant interruptions to preparations.
Those that were there have the weight of history to back up their confidence for the repeat fixture and there is no reason why Rangers can’t continue their fine record in Eindhoven as they seek to rise to the European occasion once again.
“I don’t think so,” Dessers said when asked if PSV will be a different side at home. “I think it will be a pretty similar game.
“Maybe they will take a little bit more risk because they play at home and they have to come, they want to come. I know the manager, I know the team, I know what they want. Hopefully we can use that as an advantage as well.
“The atmosphere will be on fire there as well, like it was at Ibrox. I think Ibrox tops it!
“I think the players at Rangers are used to the crowd here at Ibrox, they have experience in the Champions League.
“I know they can handle this crowd as well. We will be ready and we will put in a good performance and hopefully that will be enough for us.
“I actually saw [the game last season], as well as the one against Union Saint-Gilloise. We go there now with the same result as the first game here so hopefully we can get the same outcome as well.”
The stage is set for a new hero to come to the fore. It was Antonio Colak that assumed the role last term and the heralded figures at Ibrox were unexpected ones as Sima and Matondo made their mark in stunning style.
Beale is not short of options in the final third and he can mix it up in terms of style and substance to keep PSV guessing. Dessers will have ambitions to start, while fellow summer arrivals Danilo and Sam Lammers will be eager to play their part.
Few would have expected Sima and Matondo, in particular, to have such an influence at Ibrox. It was a night that showed the strength and depth of the Rangers attack and every member of it now has the chance to write their own headlines in Holland.
Dessers said: “I think that can only be seen as a positive. I think all the attackers have scored a goal now this season and we are still in August.
“That is a massive advantage for us and we should give the manager a headache with this. But it is also a luxury option for him because he can bring in every player and he knows every profile will be dangerous and can be dangerous.
“If you see Rabbi on Tuesday night, his first goal for Rangers, that is a real achievement for him and I hope this gets him started. He is a really good player, he can offer a lot to the team and I hope this is a new beginning and he can keep scoring.
“It was an unbelievable finish and I thought he was going to score a second one because he hit it really, really well. He can save it for [this] week!”
