It was an action-packed weekend for Nigerian footballers plying their trade abroad, with standout performances in various leagues. Here’s a round-up of how Super Eagles and Super Falcons players fared over the weekend.
Bundesliga: Boniface Shines Again
In Germany, Victor Boniface continued his excellent form for Bayer Leverkusen. The Nigerian striker netted in his second consecutive match, helping Leverkusen to a 2-2 draw against Holstein Kiel in Game Week 6 at BayArena. Boniface wasted no time, opening the scoring just four minutes into the game, marking his fourth goal of the Bundesliga season.
Premier League Highlights
In the Premier League, Alex Iwobi was in action for Fulham as they faced a tough test against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. Despite Fulham’s valiant efforts, they fell 3-2 to the reigning champions. Iwobi, making his seventh appearance of the season, has contributed one goal and one assist so far. He was substituted in the 77th minute, while his fellow Nigerian, Calvin Bassey, also featured for Fulham.
Elsewhere, the Super Eagles duo of Joe Aribo and Paul Onuachu were involved in Southampton’s 3-1 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates. Aribo made his sixth appearance of the season, while Onuachu came on as a substitute in the 74th minute, marking his debut for the club this season.
Ola Aina impressed for Nottingham Forest in their 1-1 draw away to Chelsea. Although Taiwo Awoniyi was an unused substitute, Aina’s solid performance against his former club drew praise.
Wilfred Ndidi was instrumental in Leicester City’s 1-0 win over Bournemouth, playing the full 90 minutes. The midfield powerhouse has already registered four assists in seven league games this season.
In the Championship, Semi Ajayi and Josh Maja both featured for West Brom in their goalless draw with Millwall. Ajayi played the full match, while Maja was subbed off in the 89th minute.
Over in Italy, Ademola Lookman continued his brilliant form, providing an assist as Atalanta thrashed Genoa 5-1. Lookman has now tallied two goals and two assists in four Serie A matches this season.
Super Eagles winger Samuel Chukwueze was in action as AC Milan lost 2-1 to Fiorentina in Sunday’s Serie A game. The Nigerian international who was making his sixth appearances, is yet to find the back of the net this ongoing season. He came on as a substitute for Christian Pulisic in the 82nd minute.
In another Serie A fixture, Maduka Okoye was in goal for Udinese as they secured a 1-0 win over Lecce. This marked Okoye’s seventh appearance in the league this season.
In Spain, Chidera Ejuke played a key role for Sevilla in their 1-0 win over Real Betis. Ejuke’s impressive form continues, as he’s now made eight appearances this season.
Chrisantus Uche also featured in Getafe’s 1-1 draw with Osasuna, playing 74 minutes before being substituted.
Meanwhile in France, Moses Simon was in action for Nantes in their 2-0 defeat to Lyon. The Nigerian winger featured for 73 minutes but couldn’t prevent his side from falling short.
Women’s Football: Ajibade and Oshoala Impress
Super Falcons star Rasheedat Ajibade was named the Spanish Liga F Player of the Month for September, following a stellar month where she scored five goals and provided two assists for Atletico Madrid. Ajibade continued her form by starring in Atletico’s 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.
Asisat Oshoala found the net for Bay FC, but it wasn’t enough as they suffered a 5-1 defeat away to Gotham FC in the US National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) on Saturday night. This marked Oshoala’s 7th goal of the season. The reigning CAF Women’s Player of the Year has now scored in consecutive games, with four goals in her last five appearances.
