By Wale Mustapha
Valencia manager Carlos Corberán has called for more goals from Nigerian striker Umar Sadiq after his first goal for the club in their 2-0 Copa del Rey victory over Ourense on Tuesday.
Sadiq, who was making his full debut for Los Ches, scored Valencia’s second goal of the match 12 minutes before full-time, helping secure the win.
His performance impressed Corberán, who believes the goal will boost the striker’s confidence.
“Sadiq has shown that he lives close to the goal, he has achieved an individual move that has given him an important goal,” Corberán said.
“I am sure that it will give him confidence, which is important to continue helping him in that aspect.”
The 27-year-old forward will now look to build on his recent form, with a crucial La Liga clash against his parent club, Real Sociedad, set for Sunday.
Sadiq will be hoping to make a significant impact as Valencia aim for all three points.
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.
