By Monsurah Olatunji
Nigeria international Calvin Bassey played a pivotal role as Fulham stunned Manchester United, securing a 4-3 penalty shootout win after a 1-1 draw in their English FA Cup fifth-round clash at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Bassey broke the deadlock just before halftime, rising highest to meet Andreas Pereira’s corner and nodding the ball into the net to give Fulham a 1-0 lead.
This marked Bassey’s first goal in his debut FA Cup appearance and his second of the season across all competitions, following his maiden Premier League strike earlier this year.
Manchester United responded in the 76th minute when Bruno Fernandes equalized with a clever first-time finish. The Portuguese midfielder controlled a pass from Diogo Dalot and calmly placed the ball into the bottom corner, leveling the score at 1-1.
With no winner emerging after 30 minutes of extra time, the match was decided by penalties.
Fulham’s goalkeeper, Bernd Leno, emerged as the hero, saving spot-kicks from Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee to send Fulham through to the quarter-finals, while Manchester United, the holders, were eliminated.
Another Super Eagles international, Alex Iwobi, played the full 90 minutes for Fulham but was substituted in extra time due to fatigue.
Meanwhile, Chido Obi-Martin, a promising youngster eligible to play for Nigeria, made a late appearance for Manchester United but was denied a memorable moment by a crucial save from Leno.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career 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.
