By Wale Mustapha
Nigerian midfielder Tom Dele-Bashiru delivered an impressive performance for Watford on Saturday, helping the Hornets secure a 2-2 draw against high-flying Sunderland in the English Championship.
Dele-Bashiru scored one of Watford’s goals in the thrilling encounter at the Stadium of Light. Sunderland had taken the lead in the 16th minute with a header from Luke O’Nien.
The 25-year-old midfielder quickly equalized for Watford with a well-taken penalty just before halftime.
It was Dele-Bashiru’s third goal for the Hornets this season.
Watford then took the lead for the first time early in the second half, as Imran Louza finished brilliantly just a minute after the break.
However, Sunderland’s Dennis Cirkin scored a dramatic equalizer in the 89th minute to salvage a point for the hosts, extending their unbeaten run in the league to five games.
The result leaves Watford in 10th place on the table with 42 points from 28 matches, while Sunderland remain in the playoff spots.
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.
