By Monsurah Olatunji
Nigeria international Moses Simon delivered yet another standout performance for Ligue 1 side Nantes, leading them to a crucial 3-1 victory against 10-man Lens at the Stade de la Beaujoire on Sunday.
Despite being a major doubt for the match after sustaining a knock in training earlier in the week, the 29-year-old winger overcame the injury scare and started the game in manager Antoine Kombouaré’s lineup.
Simon proved his worth, scoring Nantes’ second goal from the penalty spot in the 60th minute, marking his sixth goal of the season in 21 appearances.
Louis Leroux had opened the scoring for Nantes in the 36th minute, and Meshack Elia sealed the victory with the third goal, following Neil El Aynaoui’s successful spot-kick conversion.
Before being substituted for Francis Coquelin in the 89th minute, Simon had touched the ball 51 times and completed 18 of his 20 passes with an impressive 90% accuracy rate.
The win was vital for Nantes in their battle to avoid relegation from the French top flight.
The result marked Nantes’ third home win of the season across all competitions, propelling them to 14th place in the Ligue 1 standings with 24 points from 23 matches.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
