Cyriel Dessers could become the outright leading scorer in UEFA Conference League history when Panathinaikos face CSKA Sofia on 5 November 2026 in the third league-phase matchday. In UEFA's ranking published on 22 October, the Nigerian forward is tied on 13 goals with Swedish striker Mikael Ishak of Lech Poznań. If Dessers scores once and Ishak's total stays unchanged, he will reach 14 and take sole possession of first place in that ranking. As of the 29 October cut-off, he had not yet broken the tie.
Kick-off is scheduled for 22:00 in Athens (UTC+2), equivalent to 21:00 Central European Time (CET) and 17:00 in Brasília (UTC-3), according to the Panathinaikos and UEFA fixture lists. The match is still to be played; no result or goal can be assumed.
How Dessers reached 13 goals
The historical total combines two clubs and separate seasons: Dessers scored 10 goals for Feyenoord in 2021/22, finishing that edition as top scorer, and added three for Panathinaikos in the 2026/27 league phase. The 13 goals were not all scored in a single season.
| Club and season | Goals under UEFA's criteria |
|---|---|
| Feyenoord, 2021/22 | 10 |
| Panathinaikos, 2026/27 (after two matchdays) | 3 |
| Total through 22 October 2026 | 13 |
In the opening league-phase match on 15 October, Dessers scored once as Panathinaikos beat Borac 2-1. On 22 October, he scored twice, in the 24th and 47th minutes, in a 5-1 win over Kairat Almaty. That second game took him from 11 to 13 goals on the all-time leaderboard.
Why the record depends on what is counted
UEFA publishes two separate all-time lists. The main list, covering the group stage or league phase through the final, has Dessers and Ishak tied for first on 13; Arthur Cabral, Vangelis Pavlidis and Eran Zahavi follow on 12 each. Ishak reached his total for Lech Poznań in 2025/26 after scoring twice against Shakhtar Donetsk in the second leg of the round of 16.
When qualifying rounds and qualification play-offs are also included, Arthur Cabral leads with 21 goals. In that broader count, Dessers and Ishak have 16 each. Therefore, a goal against CSKA Sofia would give Dessers the outright lead on the list excluding qualifiers, but would not automatically put him at the top of the list including them.
| Statistical scope | Leaders on 22 October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Group/league phase through final | Dessers 13; Ishak 13 (tied) |
| Qualifying rounds through final | Arthur Cabral 21; Dessers 16; Ishak 16 |
CSKA Sofia match: form and significance
Panathinaikos approach matchday three with two league-phase wins: 2-1 against Borac and 5-1 against Kairat Almaty. That gives them six points, seven goals scored and two conceded. CSKA Sofia lost 2-1 to Monaco and drew 2-2 with Nordsjælland, leaving them with one point, three goals for and four against. These figures cover only the first two matchdays of the 2026/27 league phase.
The different starts provide context for the fixture, but they do not guarantee a Dessers goal. The historical milestone depends on a goal actually credited to the striker in an eligible league-phase match. If he does not score, the tie with Ishak will remain on UEFA's main list.
Sources and references
- UEFA: Conference League all-time top scorers (22 October 2026)
- UEFA: Conference League records and statistics (22 October 2026)
- UEFA: 2026/27 top scorers (22 October 2026)
- Panathinaikos: Borac match report (15 October 2026)
- Panathinaikos: Kairat Almaty match report (22 October 2026)
- UEFA: 2026/27 league-phase fixtures and results
- Panathinaikos: official 2026/27 fixtures
- UEFA: 2025/26 scorers and Ishak's historical milestone
- THISDAY: report on Dessers reaching 13 goals (24 October 2026)
