May 26, (THEWILL) – Nigeria’s Cyriel Dessers was confirmed the highest goal-scorer of the UEFA Europa Conference League maiden edition, even though his side, Feyenoord, lost to Jose Mourinho’s Serie A side, Roma.
Dessers contributed 10 goals to the Eredivisie club’s progress in the competition and it was one more than Roma’s Tammy Abraham managed throughout the first iteration of the third-tier continental competition.
In his estimation of how Feyenoord fared in the final, Dessers pointed to the ruthlessness of the Mourinho-coached side, which man-marked him to deny him the space to exploit and cause them problems at the back. It was this focused strategy that gave Roma an edge over Feyenoord.
In post-match comments, Dessers remarked: “They are ruthless. Even if the ball is not close, they come elbows, scratch and pull. Everything is allowed. I was always against three defenders and if I won one game, then the next was already there.
“They were also all a lot bigger. Chris Smalling has become the man of the match for a reason. He especially made it very difficult for me today. They get through it once and then it hits the spot right away. The way it happens may hurt extra.
“Perhaps that is the difference between the current Feyenoord and the AS Roma of Jose Mourinho at the moment.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
