Nigerian midfielder Alhassan Yusuf made the most of the opportunity given to him as he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal for Royal Antwerp against Porto on Wednesday night, www.aclsports.com reports.
Despite the 4-1 loss to the Portuguese side, the uncapped Nigerian star stood out for the Belgian side in their third UCL group game by scoring his side’s only goal in the game.
Having made two substitute appearances against Barcelona and Shakhtar Donetsk in the first two UCL matchdays, Yusuf was given a starting berth against Porto at the Bosuilstadion.
Aside from the goal, the 23-year-old gave a solid performance in the middle of the park, completing 45/48 passes while also winning three tackles.
Alhassan Yusuf and Antwerp’s moment came in the 37th minute when he pounced on a rebound in the penalty box to fire beyond Diogo Costa and put his side 1-0 up heading into the half-time break. Despite the lead, the Belgians fell 4-1 to Porto in the end following a hat-trick from Evanilson and Stephen Eustaquio’s strike in the second half.
Meanwhile, Super Eagles winger Chidera Ejuke also featured for Antwerp against Porto when he came on for a second-half cameo.
Following his first UCL goal against Porto, Yusuf joined a list of exclusive Nigerian players to have found the back of the net on their maiden UCL start. Daniel Amokachi, Victor Ikpeba, Peter Olayinka, and Lucky Idahor all marked their first start in the competition with a goal.
Antwerp may be heading for an early exit from the Champions League having secured no point after three rounds of matches, but Yusuf will be pleased with his own achievement.
Yusuf has barely started games for Antwerp this season, but his latest performance in the UCL could change the manager’s mind about him.
Back on the home front, Yusuf and his Royal Antwerp mates will battle with Belgian heavyweights Club Brugge on Sunday as they hope to return to winning ways.
