Following the end of the international break, Nigerian players in Europe returned to their respective clubs with a number of them in action.
In this feature, Oladipupo Mojeed looks at those who featured for their clubs immediately following the break.
Super Eagles players
Maduka Okoye (Sparta Rotterdam)
Maduka Okoye kept his second clean sheet in a row for Eredivise side Sparta Rotterdam in their 6-0 victory over ADO Den Haag.
The Nigerian goalkeeper didn’t have much to do as ADO Den Haag had just one shot on target throughout the game.
Sparta Rotterdam now sits 10th place in the Eredivisie after their victory at home.
William Troost-Ekong (Watford)
The Nigerian centre back featured for Watford in their 1-1 draw with Queens Park Rangers. He played the entire duration of the game and gave an average performance for most of the game.
Semi Ajayi (West Bromwich Albion)
West Brom suffered a 1-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford. However, Ajayi was one of West Brom’s best performers in defence against the Red Devils. They kept United’s frontline quiet for most of the game. However, they conceded a goal from a controversial penalty.
Kevin Akpoguma (Hoffeinheim)
Akpoguma featured for Hoffenheim in their clash against VfB Stuttgart. He featured for the entire duration of the game which ended in a 3-3 draw.
He didn’t have the best of games, making just 2 clearances and 2 blocks while his side leaked in 3 goals. His passing accuracy was just 69.4% with 25 passes completed.
He was not part of the team that traveled to Czech to face Slovak Liberec in the Europa League.
Alex Iwobi (Everton)
Iwobi continued his run of good form in Everton’s outing against Fulham. The Nigerian was deployed in a midfield role, similar to the role he’s played for Super Eagles in recent games, and excelled. His amazing run cruising past players led to the Toffees’s second goal of the encounter.
He played the full 90 minutes, completed 6 dribbles, and had a pass accuracy of 87.5%. Hopefully, his performance would encourage Everton’s manager, Carlo Ancelotti to play him more.
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Ola Aina (Fulham)
Although he was one of Fulham’s best performers in defence, he didn’t have the kind of impact his compatriot, Iwobi had on the game.
Aina had a decent time out on the pitch but it was not enough to help his side to shut out goals against Everton.
Samuel Chukwueze (Villareal)
Samuel Chukwueze was influential in Villareal’s clash with Real Madrid despite spending just 29 minutes on the pitch.
The Nigerian winger was fouled in the penalty area by Thibaut Courtois which led to the penalty. The spot-kick goal earned them a point at the Estadio de la Ceramica.
Paul Onuachu and Cyriel Dessers (Genk)
Paul Onuachu added to his goal tally in Genk’s 4-1 victory over Royal Excel Mouscron.
The Nigerian extended Genk’s lead shortly after they took the 2-1 lead. He took his goal tally to 10 goals making him the top scorer in the league.
He then made way for his compatriot, Cyriel Dessers in the 86th minute of the game.
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Zaidu Sanusi (Porto)
Sanusi opened his Champions League goal account in Porto with a win over Marseille. The 23-year-old scored his maiden goal in the elite European competition to boost the Dragons’ chances of qualifying.
The Portuguese club won the game 2-0. He broke the deadlock in the 39th minute after pouncing on a rebound that came from a corner-kick. Sanusi was in action for 90 minutes and he produced an epic, man-of-the-match display.
Leon Balogun (Rangers)
The Super Eagles centre back played the entire 90 minutes of the 2-2 draw against Benfica in the Europa League.
Players of Nigerian descent
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
The Nigerian born England international couldn’t complete the 90 minutes against Leeds United after limping off the picth. He was subsequently ruled out of the Molde clash. Saka has been an important player for Arteta.
Folarin Balogun (Arsenal)
It only took the youth team player 37 seconds to score his first senior goal for Arsenal against Molde in the Europa League.
He is hoping to get more game time under Mikel Arteta.
Our Nigerian players in Europe and those of Nigerian descent continue to make us proud and we wish them every success.
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