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Nigerian Forwards Moses and Iwobi End Goal Droughts in Premier League Victories
Nigerian forwards, Victor Moses and Alex Iwobi, put an end to their goal droughts in the English Premier League (EPL) on Saturday, contributing to their respective teams’ victories. Moses scored his first goal of the season in Chelsea’s 4-0 win over Brighton Hove Albion, while Iwobi doubled Arsenal’s lead in their 4-1 triumph over Crystal Palace.
Iwobi, making his 14th EPL appearance for Arsenal this season, found the back of the net in the 10th minute at the Emirates Stadium. The goal marked Iwobi’s first since October 1st, 2017, during Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Brighton. This impressive performance by Iwobi helped Arsenal secure a comfortable victory over Crystal Palace.
Meanwhile, at the Amex Stadium, Victor Moses ended his goal drought by scoring for Chelsea in their convincing 4-0 victory against Brighton Hove Albion. The goal was Moses’ first in the last 40 EPL games, providing a much-needed boost to his confidence. The Nigerian international has made 17 appearances this season for Chelsea.
In other EPL matches, Wilfred Ndidi made his 23rd appearance for Leicester City, who defeated Watford 2-0. Ndidi’s compatriot, Kelechi Iheanacho, was an unused substitute in the encounter, while Isaac Success was not included in Watford’s match day squad.
In the English Championship, Sone Aluko played for 60 minutes before being replaced by Roy Beerens in Reading’s 1-0 home loss to Brentford. The game marked Aluko’s 23rd appearance in the English Championship this season. Similarly, Ola Aina made his 26th appearance for Hull City in the English Championship, but his team suffered a 1-0 defeat away to Sunderland.
Moving to Cyprus, Abdullahi Shehu scored his first goal of the season for Anorthosis Famagusta in their 3-1 victory over Ethnikos Achnas. This goal marked Abdullahi’s first in 11 months and one week, with his last goal coming during Anorthosis Famagusta’s 4-1 win over Ermis Aradippou on January 28, 2017. Abdullahi has made 19 league appearances for Anorthosis Famagusta, who currently sit second in the log with 44 points from 21 games, just one point behind defending champions APOEL Nicosia.
In Spain, Kayode Olanrewaju returned to Girona’s matchday squad but was not used as a substitute in their 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid in LaLiga Santander. Olanrewaju has made 12 appearances in the Spanish top flight this season.
In Germany, Anthony Ujah was an unused substitute for FSV Mainz in their 3-2 home defeat to VfB Stuttgart. His compatriot, Leon Balogun, was not included in the matchday squad. Ujah has made one appearance for Mainz since his return to the club, while Balogun has featured in eight games as an unused substitute, missing 12 games.
In the LaLiga 1|2|3, Ramon Azeez made his 25th appearance for Lugo, who secured a 3-1 home victory over Sporting Gijon. Azeez has scored twice so far this season.
Lastly, in Turkey, Okechukwu Azubuike played the full duration of Yeni Malatyaspor’s goalless draw against Osmanlispor FK, with Raheem Lawal and Aminu Umar also featuring for Osmanlispor FK. Lawal lasted for 32 minutes, while Umar played the entire game.
Overall, it was a positive weekend for Nigerian players in various leagues across Europe, with Moses and Iwobi ending their goal droughts and contributing to their teams’ victories.
