Cyriel Dessers made his long-awaited return to action on Sunday as Panathinaikos fell to a 3-2 defeat against AEK Athens in a Greek Super League encounter at the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium.

The Nigeria international had not featured for Panathinaikos since September 25 when he sustained an injury during a Europa League fixture away to Young Boys. 

Although the setback was initially expected to be minor, it ultimately sidelined him for two months.

With Panathinaikos trailing 2-1, Dessers was introduced in the 86th minute as a replacement for Pedro Chirivella. 

Moments later, Filip Djuricic levelled the score in the 90th minute, only for Luka Jović to complete his hat-trick in stoppage time and seal victory for AEK Athens.

Dessers' injury ruled him out of the last four World Cup qualifiers contested by the Super Eagles, including the decisive playoffs against Gabon and the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

His most recent appearance for Nigeria—his tenth cap—came in September during the World Cup qualifier against South Africa.

Having been out of action for two months, Dessers now faces a battle to earn a place in Nigeria's final squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. 

In his absence, Sevilla forward Akor Adams shone, registering two goals in four appearances. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel