Iheanacho, Onuachu, others: Nigeria’s striking legs still blazing with fire in Europe

Hope has finally appeared on the horizon for Nigerian football as Super Eagles frontliners continued to prove their worth in the European football leagues.

Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho, Genks forward, Paul Onuachu, Villarreal’s Samuel Chukwueze, FC Lorient’s Terem Moffi and many more who have distinguished themselves in Europe.

In fact, Iheanacho and Onuachu are regualr scoring machines for their clubs, breaking barriers and by setting new records with their goals.

Iheanacho was the hero for Leicester City again on Sunday when he netted the winner against Southampton that secured an FA Cup final spot for Brendan Rodgers’ men.

With Chelsea claiming an upset 1-0 victory over Manchester City in the other semifinal on Saturday, all eyes were on the Foxes and the Saints in the other last-four clash on Sunday.

Iheanacho made the difference for Leicester City as they revived their dreams of lifting a first-ever FA Cup trophy.

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The in-form Nigerian striker reacted first to a loose ball and put it away after his initial shot was blocked in the 55th-minute of the encounter.

Iheanacho’s goal was his fourth in his last three FA Cup games, with the 24-year-old scoring against Brighton Hove and Albion in February before grabbing a double in the triumph over Manchester United in the previous round.

Iheanacho will be the dangerman to watch for Chelsea when the Blues face Leicester in May’s final.

Samuel Chukwueze smashed in his first career double to guide Villarreal to a convincing 5-1 win away to local rivals Levante at the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia in a La Liga clash on Sunday night.

Paul Onuachu was also one of the many Nigerian players on targets for their respective clubs in different European leagues.

Onuachu scored twice on Saturday to take his tally to 29 league goals, but it was not enough to prevent Genk from losing against Royal Antwerp.

The 26-year-old opened the scoring in the 22nd minute before adding a second from the penalty spot in the 64th minute.

It looked like Genk were on course for a routine win until Didier Lamkel Ze pulled one back for Antwerp in the 67th minute.

For Genk, they would be disappointed with how they lost it, but Onuachu can take consolation from the two strikes.

Meanwhile, in France, Terem Moffi also suffered a similar fate after scoring twice in Lorient’s loss to Olympique Marseille. Moffi has now scored 11 times in 27 Ligue 1 games for the relegation-threatened side.

In Italy, Simy Nwankwo equalled Yakubu Aiyegbeni’s record as the Nigerian to score the most goals in a single campaign in Europe’s top five leagues this millennium after scoring again for Crotone.

The 28-year-old scored his 17th league goal in the Italian Serie A this campaign, but Crotone’s poor form continued as they suffered a 2-1 loss to Udinese.

In Sweden, Nigeria’s golden boy, Akinkunmi Amoo, scored his first-ever goal in the Swedish top-flight to help Hammarby to a 2-0 win over Mjallby.

And finally, in Spain, Kelechi Nwakali was on the scoresheet for the second game running after scoring in Alcorcon’s 3-1 win at Lugo.

On-loan Chelsea forward Ike Ugbo was on target for Cercle Brugge but his side could only manage a 1-1 draw at KV Oostende on Sunday.

Ugbo capitalised on some slack defending from the hosts to open the scoring at the Diaz Arena for Yves Vanderhaeghe’s men shortly after the first-half break.

Aribo featured from start to finish as a Steven Davis effort and a Jonjoe Kenny own goal helped the Light Blues eliminate the Hoops from the competition. This is the earliest stage the dethroned league champions have been knocked out of the FA Cup since the 2005-06 season.

John Kennedy’s men had prepared for this battle in the best possible way – with a 6-0 thrashing of Livingston last weekend.

But Rangers showed no sign of lifting their foot off the throttle as Steven Gerrard’s men, weeks after stunningly securing the league title, now look the favourite to add the cup.

Super Eagles stars Josh Maja and Ola Aina played crucial roles to help Fulham earn an impressive 1-1 draw against Arsenal in a game week 33 Premier League clash.

Aina was at the centre of everything good about the visitors’ defences, ensuring they nearly kept a clean sheet against their attack-minded hosts.