Cyriel Dessers was in tears after being forced out of Cremonese’s goalless draw with Udinese on Sunday due to an injury.
The Nigerian player had what looked like a muscle problem in his right thigh. His coach, Massimiliano Alvini, had to put Cristian Buonaiuto in for him early because of this.
Dessers started up front alongside Nigerian compatriot David Okereke, who wasted a wonderful chance to put his team ahead after 35 minutes. Okereke gained enough space inside the box to connect with a cross, but his magnificent header flew narrowly over the crossbar.
While the extent of his injury is unknown, Dessers appeared to be in a lot of discomfort, which will alarm not only Alvini but also Nigeria coach Jose Peseiro, whose team faces Costa Rica on November 10 before facing Portugal seven days later.
The former Genk striker has been a regular in the Cremonese starting XI, scoring twice and assisting once for his new team.
With Dessers out, Okereke was tasked with scoring goals, but he struggled, failing to register a shot on target in the second half, as the Serie A newcomers remained at the bottom of the table with only five points from 12 games.
Dessers was hoping to make amends after missing a penalty in last Monday’s 1-0 loss to Sampdoria, but an injury cut him short.
Cremonese could be relegated to Serie B unless they go on a winning streak, which may be difficult if Dessers is away for an extended amount of time.