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Eredivisie top scorer Dessers hurt by delayed Nigeria debut

Heracles forward Cyriel Dessers said he was pained to miss his Nigeria debut because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Belgium-born star was called up by Gernot Rohr in March for the Super Eagles' 2021 Africa Cup of Nations double-header qualifying fixture against Sierra Leone later that month.

He was looking forward to meeting his new international teammates and make his maiden appearance for the three-time African champions in front of home fans in Asaba before the Covid-19 outbreak forced the indefinite suspension of the qualifiers by Caf.

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"It hurt me because I thought it was going to be one of the best moments of my life - or at least my career - and that it didn't go through was really painful," Dessers told BBC Sport.