Victor Osimhen’s decisive strike propelled Galatasaray to a thrilling comeback victory whilst compatriots Victor Boniface and Alex Iwobi produced standout performances as Nigerian footballers made their mark across European leagues at the weekend.
The Galatasaray forward, on loan from Napoli, demonstrated his predatory instincts by inspiring his Turkish side to overturn a deficit against Goztepe at home. The goal underscored Osimhen’s continued importance to his team despite the temporary nature of his stay in Istanbul.
In Germany, Boniface delivered an encouraging display for Werder Bremen during their encounter with Union Berlin on Friday evening. The forward completed 84 minutes on the pitch, showing marked improvement in his overall contribution to the team’s attacking play.
Iwobi reached a significant personal milestone during Fulham’s narrow defeat at Newcastle United, becoming the first Nigerian player to amass 300 appearances in the English Premier League. The versatile midfielder’s achievement caps a remarkable journey since his breakthrough at Arsenal, though he and teammate Calvin Bassey endured disappointment as Bruno Guimaraes’ late strike condemned the Cottagers to defeat. Samuel Chukwueze remained absent from the matchday squad due to ongoing injury concerns.
Across the continent, Moses Simon featured for the entire 90 minutes as Paris FC suffered a 1-2 home reversal against Nantes, the winger’s former club, in French Ligue 2 action on Friday.
The Championship witnessed Semi Ajayi complete the full match for Hull City, who secured a 1-1 home draw with Charlton on Saturday. However, Bright Osayi-Samuel was forced to watch Birmingham FC’s defeat at Bristol from the sidelines, serving a one-match suspension after accumulating yellow cards.
In Italy, Ademola Lookman played the complete fixture for Atalanta, though the Bergamo side had to settle for a 1-1 away draw at Cremonese. The result extended a difficult spell for the Serie A outfit.
Turkish football saw contrasting fortunes for Nigerian strikers. Paul Onuachu was substituted during the second half of Trabzonspor’s comfortable 2-0 home triumph over Elyuspor FC, whilst Wilfred Ndidi lasted the entire duration as Besiktas shared the points in a 1-1 away stalemate at Kasimpasa on Sunday.
Greece provided more positive news as Bruno Onyemachi reclaimed his place in Olympiacos’ starting eleven and completed 90 minutes during their 2-0 home victory against AEK Athens.
The weekend brought injury setbacks for several Nigerian internationals. Kelechi Iheanacho was ruled out of Celtic’s 3-1 away defeat at Hearts after sustaining an injury during Wednesday night’s Europa League victory over Sturm Graz. Nathan Tella’s absence from Bayern Leverkusen’s squad for their 2-0 win at Freiburg was also attributed to injury, with no timeframe given for his return.
Fisayo Dele-Bashiru missed Lazio’s 1-0 victory over Juventus through fitness issues, whilst Cyril Dessers remained sidelined for Panathinaikos FC as they cruised to a 2-0 win against Asteras Tripolis.
Spanish football saw Akor Adams and Chidera Ejuke introduced from the bench for Sevilla during their away defeat to Real Sociedad. Adams entered the action in the 66th minute, with Ejuke joining the fray 14 minutes earlier in the 52nd minute.
The English Premier League’s late fixtures brought mixed fortunes for Nigerian involvement. Tolu Akorode came on as an 84th-minute substitute for Wolves, who succumbed to a home defeat against Burnley.
Christantus Uche marked his return to Premier League action for Crystal Palace, featuring in their away loss to league leaders Arsenal. The former Getafe midfielder had made his European debut for Palace on Thursday during their surprise 1-0 defeat to AEK Larnaca.
Taiwo Awoniyi entered proceedings from the bench for Nottingham Forest, who fell to defeat at Bournemouth under new manager Sean Dyche. The result brought Forest back down to earth following their midweek European success, highlighting the challenges facing Dyche in his first league fixture at the helm.
The weekend’s action demonstrated the widespread influence of Nigerian talent across European football, though injuries to key players including Iheanacho, Tella and Chukwueze will concern national team manager ahead of upcoming international fixtures.
