Nigerian football players abroad had another fruitful weekend, as Super Eagles midfielder Ibrahim Olawoyin opened his season account in Turkey. Meanwhile, Kelechi Iheanacho continues to score for Bursaspor in the second tier of Turkish football.
Former NPFL star Ibrahim Olawoyin scored for Çaykur Rizespor in the 2-2 draw at Goztepe. The home side went in front through Arda Kurtulan before Olawoyin curled home a beauty to draw his side level in the 70th minute. Nine minutes from time, Moussa Diakite put Rize in front, only for the hosts to score a late penalty through Efkan Bekiroglu to rescue a point.
Also in Turkey, Kelechi Iheanacho continued his remarkable scoring form, scoring twice to help Bursaspor complete a comeback victory over Batman Petrolspor. Bursaspor initially fell behind, but the Nigeria international brought his side level from the penalty spot in the 60th minute. Iheanacho completed the turnaround five minutes from time, firing home to seal a vital 2-1 away win for Bursaspor. The brace means Iheanacho has now scored in eight consecutive league games for Bursaspor.
Striker Paul Onuachu and defender Chibuike Nwaiwu featured for Trabzonspor in their emphatic 4-0 home victory over Galatasaray. The Nigerian striker came off the bench in the 59th minute as Trabzonspor secured a convincing win. Meanwhile, fellow Super Eagles forward Victor Osimhen was unavailable for Galatasaray due to injury.
In the Netherlands, Tolu Arokodare made an immediate impact off the bench as Ajax fought back to secure a 2-2 draw against Excelsior in their Eredivisie encounter on Saturday night. The strike took Arokodare’s season tally to six goals in all competitions for Ajax this season.
In England, Nigerian duo Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi featured for Fulham in their 1-1 draw against Manchester United in Sunday’s Premier League clash. Bassey played the full 90 minutes, while Iwobi was on the pitch for 71 minutes as Fulham picked up a point at home against the Red Devils.
Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali kept a clean sheet in Chippa United’s 1-0 win at TS Galaxy in the South African Premiership. It was the former Enyimba goalkeeper’s third clean sheet of the season in seven league appearances for the Chilli Boys.
Defender Emmanuel Fernandez played the entire duration for Rangers in their narrow 1-0 derby victory over Celtic. Meanwhile, Super Eagles winger Chidera Ejuke came off the bench for his sixth appearance of the season, featuring for Sevilla in their 3-1 La Liga defeat to reigning champions Barcelona on Saturday. Forward Ademola Lookman was also in action for Atlético Madrid in their 2-1 win over Real Madrid in the Madrid derby on Sunday.
In the Italian Serie A, Samuel Chukwueze played 87 minutes for AC Milan in their comfortable 3-0 win over Lecce on Sunday. Meanwhile, young midfielder Ebenzer Akinsanmiro was also in action for 56 minutes in Monza’s 2-1 win over Sassuolo on Friday night.
