Nigerian footballers heading into the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) camp wrapped up their club commitments with performances that spoke of growing momentum.
Across Europe, Nigerian footballers, especially the AFCON invitees played key roles for their teams, with goals, assists and decisive contributions offering a timely boost ahead of the tournament.
In Spain, Sevilla’s emphatic 4-0 victory over Real Oviedo was shaped by two Nigerians who left a clear imprint on the match. Akor Adams set the tone almost immediately, opening the scoring in the fourth minute with a composed finish past Aarón Escandell for his third goal of the season.
The striker was not done there, turning creator midway through the first half as he teed up Djibril Sow, whose low strike doubled Sevilla’s advantage. Late in the contest, Chidera Ejuke provided the final strike. Introduced in the 77th minute, the winger embarked on a dazzling solo run before slotting home just before stoppage time, registering his first goal of the campaign and capping a dominant home display.
Croatia also offered encouragement for Nigeria as new Super Eagles invitee Lawal Salim Fago continued his fine scoring run for Istra 1961. The forward struck inside five minutes for his fifth goal of the season, making it back-to-back matches on the scoresheet since earning his AFCON call-up. Although the match was later abandoned at 1-1, Fago’s early impact once again underlined his form heading into international duty.
Italy proved to be a productive hunting ground as well, with Gift Orban delivering a match-winning performance for Hellas Verona. Introduced in the 35th minute after an injury-enforced change, the striker needed little time to announce himself.
Three minutes before halftime, he broke the deadlock with a cool finish from the edge of the box following a swift counterattack. After Fiorentina drew level, Orban returned to settle the contest dramatically, calmly converting from close range in the dying moments to seal a 2-1 win and take his league tally to four goals for the season.
At the other end of the pitch, Maduka Okoye played his part as Udinese edged Napoli 1-0 in Serie A. The Super Eagles goalkeeper recorded his third clean sheet of the campaign, dealing confidently with the limited threat he faced and helping his side deny Napoli top spot on the table.
Elsewhere in Europe, Raphael Onyedika continued his run of steady performances for Club Brugge, playing 79 minutes in a resounding 5-1 away victory over Dender in Belgium. In Turkey, Anthony Dennis followed up last week’s goal with another assured display, completing the full match as Göztepe claimed a narrow 1-0 away win over Gaziantep, taking his season tally to three goals.
Further appearances came from Wilfred Ndidi, who played the entire match in Beşiktaş’s 3-3 draw at Trabzonspor before joining the Super Eagles camp, while Bruno Onyemaechi returned to action for Olympiacos after injury. Cyriel Dessers made his first start in 17 matches for Panathinaikos following a lengthy layoff, and Kelechi Iheanacho continued his recovery with another outing for Celtic.
