terem moffi — Terem Moffi holding his own against Monaco

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Nigerian stars Scorecard: Moffi, Onuachu, Oshoala, Okereke dazzle in Europe

By our reporter On Sep 13, 2021 0

Nigerian players abroad have been trying to warm the hearts of their respective followers after the international break with Terem Moffi, Paul Oniachu and others proving their worth.

Terem Moffi was the match-winner for FC Lorient in France and in Italy, David Okereke conjured an individual goal that will be talked about for many years for Venezia to win their first game in Serie A.

Fresh from international duty with the Super Eagles, the young striker was Man of the Match with the match-winner and an assist in his club’s 2-1 home win over Ligue 1 champions Lille. He has again proved to be the nemesis for the top clubs after he slew the likes of PSG, Monaco, and Olympique Marseille last season. He has now scored two goals and provided as many assists to carry on from last season when he fired 15 goals in all competitions.

Dribbling wizard, Chidera Ejuke is an interesting player for both club and country. In Cape Verde Tuesday he showed his directness as well as that he can also be inventive as he dashed down the left flank. He completed a great week Sunday when he was named Man of the Match as his Russian club CSKA Moscow drew 2-2 at Arsenal Tula. He is most certainly repaying the 12 Million Euros the Russian army club forked out to sign him from Dutch club SC Heerenveen.

Also, goal-scoring winger, Samuel Adegbenro will remain the leading scorer in the Swedish Allsvenskan on the back of his 10th goal of the season for Norrkoping, which helped them snatch a draw at the death at Malmo. Adegbenro has got his career back on track after a rather difficult time last season at Norwegian club Rosenborg. At only 25, his fine form in Sweden could still earn him a move to a major league soon.

Talented forward, David Okereke, is now enjoying a new lease of life back in Italy and his super solo strike against Empoli has underlined that fact. He drove for almost 60 metres past the Empoli defence right from his own half of the pitch, before he drilled the ball home a minute after coming off the bench. Last season, he was dubbed an expensive flop at Club Brugge after he struggled to find the back of the net for the Belgian champions, who had splashed out a club-record eight Million Euros to sign him from Italian club Spezia two years ago. Talk about a revival!

Goal King Paul Onuachu was on course to grab the match-winner before the new sensation in the Belgian league Union Saint-Gilloise held back Genk in stoppage time.

Onuachu scored his third goal of the new league season from the penalty spot in the 73rd minute.

Nigerian forward, Anthony Nwakaeme has continued his great scoring form in Turkey after he scored his fourth goal in as many games for Trabzonspor.

He struck the last goal of the evening to rescue Trabzonspor from the edge of defeat in his side’s 2-2 draw against Galatasaray on Sunday.

The hosts had secured maximum points from each of their first three games of the season but it was never going to be easy against Fatih Terim’s men, record 22-time league winners.

Former Manchester United striker, Odion Ighalo shot his way to the top of the goal scorers’ chart in the Saudi Arabia top-flight league after he scored twice to help Al Shabab defeat Al Hazm 2-0.

Ighalo opened the scoring in the third minute off an assist from Paulinho on Sunday.

Super Falcons hero Asisat Oshoala scored her first two goals of the campaign to power Primera Division champions Barcelona Women to a 5-0 victory at Real Betis.

The 26-year-old attacker was a 65th-minute substitute when Jonatan Giráldez’s side hammered Granadilla Tenerife by the same scoreline on matchday one.

But Oshoala, who scored 18 goals in 26 league games last term, was back in the starting lineup on Saturday and found the back of the net in the 48th and 69th minute.

In France, Super Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie continued her brilliant start to the league campaign as she kept a clean sheet in Paris FC 3-0 thrashing of Stade De Reims.

The 20-year-old shot-stopper has only conceded once in three league matches played – in the 4-1 win over Guingamp in the season opener.

Nnadozie made a string of fine saves to help her side return with a narrow 1-0 win from their trip to Fleury 91 last weekend.

And the Nigerian youngster was once again unbeatable as goals from Greboval, Mateo, and Corboz at the Stade Robert Bobin made it three wins from three for the Sandrine Soubeyrand-tutored side.

In the Japan J2 League, Peter Utaka scored the equaliser, and Origbaajo Ismaila netted a 90th-minute winner as Kyoto Sanga carved out a come-from-behind 2-1 victory at home against Ryukyu.

The two Nigerian attackers have accounted for 18 of Kyoto Sanga’s 46 league goals this season.

In Sweden, new Super Eagles midfielder Innocent Bonke lasted only 23 minutes in Malmo’s 1-1 draw at home to a Norrköping side parading the Nigerian duo of Samuel Adegbenro and Ishaq Abdulrazak.

Fresh from earning his maiden Super Eagles cap against Cape Verde, the reliable Bonke was thrown in from the start by manager Jon Dahl Tomasson.

The midfielder was, however, withdrawn from the game after picking an injury midway through the first half.

A 59th-minute strike from Bosnia and Herzegovina attacker Adi Nalic appeared to have given Malmo the three points at stake.

But Oshogbo-born Adegbenro smashed in the equaliser deep into injury time to earn the visitors a share of the spoils.

The goal takes Allsvenskan top scorer Adegbenro to ten for the season, two more than the chasing pack of Malmo’s Čolak, Häcken’s Jeremejeff, Degerfors’ Edvardsen, and Sirius’ Kouakou.