By Monsurah Olatunji
Nigeria forward Tolu Arokodare was once again the hero for Belgian club Genk, scoring the crucial equalizer in their 2-1 win over Standard Liege in the Belgian Cup Round of 16 at Cegeka Arena on Wednesday night.
The 24-year-old Nigerian striker came off the bench to level the score at 1-1 in the 72nd minute after Standard Liege had taken the lead through a goal from Zeqiri in the 65th minute.
Arokodare, who is the top scorer in the Belgian Pro League with 10 goals in 16 matches this season, kept his composure to force the game into extra time.
In the extra period, Genk’s Hrosovsky sealed the victory with a goal in the 115th minute, ensuring that the match didn’t go to penalties.
Arokodare’s performance continues to fuel rumors of a potential move to the Premier League, after his near departure from Genk during the summer transfer window.
The Super Eagles star’s timely contribution was key to Genk’s progression to the quarterfinals of the competition.
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.
