Super Eagles striker Cyriel Dessers has revealed his joy at becoming the joint leading goalscorer in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
The Feyenoord forward grabbed a brace in his side's 3-1 victory over Slavia Prague on Thursday to reach eight (8) goals in the competition, equal with Roma's Tammy Abraham.
Dessers relishes second minute goal against Slavia Prague
As reported by Voetbalkrant, Dessers stated that he was on autopilot for his first goal of the night, which was only in the second minute of the match.
Dessers said: "I went on autopilot and didn't think. Then I hit the ball well with the left in the corner. I was happy of course, but it was only the second minute.
"We played against a very good team. They do things which we also want to implement in that way with pressure and cover. It was very difficult to play football."
When the pressure is high, I perform - Dessers
Dessers stated that it was a great feeling for Feyenoord to reach the semifinals of the competition as most did not give the Dutch side a chance at the start of the competition.
The 27-year-old striker also stated that he rose to the occasion when the pressure was highest and showed his importance to the team.
"That smile will not leave my face for the time being. This is a really fantastic feeling. Not many people would have given us that before the start of the season, but that we are here standing is fully deserved," Dessers stated.
"I feel those European matches are something special. The pressure is high, then the best Cyriel comes up. I'm glad I can be important. This is already nice, but I hope we can do something more"
Dessers made only his fourth start in the competition for Feyenoord on Thursday after the Super Eagles player complained about being left on the bench for the first leg against Slavia Prague.
Feyenoord now join AS Roma, Leicester City, and Olympique Marseille in the semifinals of the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League competition.