The inaugural final of the third-tier European club competition – the UEFA Conference League holds Wednesday (today) in Albania’s capital city of Tirana, with history set to be made at the 20,000-capacity National Arena, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Dutch side Feyenoord, which features Super Eagles striker Cyriel Dessers, clash with favourites AS Roma, managed by Jose Mourinho.
If Feyenoord triumph, Dessers will etch his name in the competition’s folklore as the first Nigerian to win the Conference League title.
The final is a higher profile match than was envisioned by many in 2018, when UEFA decided to create the Europa Conference League. Its aim was to give more opportunities for clubs in lower-ranked countries to get involved in European competitions beyond December.
Dessers who was signed on a season-long loan from Belgian club Genk in the summer, became a massive hit with the Feyenoord faithful, scoring 10 goals in 12 games (six starts and six substitutes) in the competition to steer them to the final.
He began the competition firing blanks in his opening three Group E games against Maccabi Haifa, Slavia Prague and Union Berlin.
But he broke his duck in the reverse fixture against Union in the 72nd minute – after replacing Bryan Linssen in the 64th minute – scoring the winner against the Germans, as the Dutchmen won 2-1.
The Genk loanee was also on target against Slavia Prague (scoring twice), Maccabi Haifa, Partizan Belgrade over two legs. In the quarter-final second leg, the Nigeria international also bagged a brace against Partizan Belgrade.
He also grabbed a double in their 3-2 win over Olympique Marseille in the semi-final first leg game at De Kuip stadium.
Speaking ahead of the game, the 27-year-old says the final will be the greatest game of his career.
“I’m really looking forward to it. Playing finals is all you care about when you’re a top sportsman and especially special matches like these against Roma; that goes without saying,” the one-cap Super Eagles forward said.
“I’m really looking forward to it and I hope it’s going to be the greatest game of my life.
He also revealed that Feyenoord are not scared of AS Roma.
“We are confident. We’re not afraid of the big name of Roma. We are aware of our qualities; we know what we can do. We will have to be at our best, that’s for sure, but we also know that if we are, we can beat almost every team. We know what to expect. We are well prepared. If we just do our thing and play our best, everything is possible.”
On being the competitions top scorer with 10 goals, Dessers added, “It’s a fantastic feeling. To get into double figures as a striker is something you work towards in pre-season.
“When you can do that in a European competition, that’s very special. I realise it puts me in a special list of players for this season, (not just) at the European level but also for the club.
“It’s because of the team that I can be in that position and score those goals. I don’t just mean assists or passes I get from the team, but also defensive (work).
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“We want to press so high, which means our defenders are often in one-on-one situations or play with a lot of space behind. I might be the one cheering after the goal, but it really is the entire team that makes that possible, as clichéd as that may sound. I have to be the focal point and be in the right place.”
Dessers also warned Mourinho that he was capable of denying him a fifth European title with his scoring prowess.
The Portuguese has won all four of his finals- two with Porto and one apiece with Inter Milan and Manchester United.
Mourinho led Porto to UEFA Cup success and a stunning Champions league triumph the following season.
The former Chelsea boss also claimed the UEFA Champions League title with Inter Milan in 2010 and in 2017 he won the Europa League title with Manchester United.
“I don’t have that. I can play with my back towards the goal, I can hold the ball up, I can run deep towards the goal, I can score with my left and right foot; when I’m in front of the goal, I don’t have any doubts about scoring with my left foot, for example.
“I’ve also scored some nice goals with my head this season, so I think I am quite an all-round player without being extreme in anything. But I can always do better, of course, and that’s something I work on very hard every day.”
The Nigeria international has also scored a whooping 21 goals and provided six assists in 46 games across all competitions, and will be hoping to add to his tally tonight.
Meanwhile, the Albanian government has declared a public holiday in Tirana for the final.
There will be a pedestrian-only zone as part of measures “to organise in the most exemplary way one of the most major events that have occurred in Albania,” Interior Minister Bledi Cuci said.
Up to 100,000 Italian and Dutch soccer fans are expected in Tirana even though each side has been allocated only 4,000 tickets for the inaugural final of the third-tier European club competition.
“We are undertaking all the measures to make the day festive for everyone, not only for Italian and Dutch fans,” Cuci said.
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