Cyriel Dessers shines for KRC Genk in 4-goal thriller against Standard Liege in the Belgian Pro League

The 27-year-old striker bagged two (2) goals and one (1) assist within the first 25 minutes to send Genk off on their way to a 3-1 victory on Matchday 2 of the Belgian Pro League.

Genk were looking to bounce back from their 3-2 defeat away at Club Brugge on Matchday 1 and thus named a strong side as they welcomed Standard Liege to the Cegeka Arena.

Dessers led the attack, flanked by Mike Tresor and Ghanaian forward Joseph Paintsil. The latter being the provider of the first goal.

Just five minutes into the encounter, Dessers got on the end of Paintsil’s assist to give Genk an early lead and calm the nerves of their home fans.

The Super Eagles striker then turned provider for strike partner Tresor in the 16th minute as Genk dominated the opening stages of the encounter.

Dessers would complete the damage in the first half, slotting home a 29th-minute penalty – on the second attempt – to return the two-goal advantage to Genk after Denis Dragus had initially halved the deficit for Standard Liege in the 24th minute.

After a topsy-turvy first half, the game calmed down in the second period as Genk kept the possession tight and attacked at intervals to keep their lead intact.

Dessers played 86 minutes of the encounter before being brought off for 19-year-old Hungarian striker Andras Nemeth with the game firmly in control.

In all, the Super Eagles striker hit three (3) shots on target and one (1) off target while attempting two (2) unsuccessful dribbles but laying off 13 accurate passes (86.7% success rate) to his teammates.

Dessers also completed one (1) key pass, created one (1) big chance, won one (1) aerial duel and drew four (4) fouls off the Standard Liege defence in an all-around performance on Sunday afternoon.

With his future still in doubt, Dessers would be hoping to still be at Genk when they host KAS Eupen on Saturday, August 6 for their Matchday 3 fixture of the 2022/23 Belgian Pro League season.