Nigerian Stars Shine and Struggle in European Football Showdown

A plethora of Nigerian football stars plied their trade in Europe over the weekend, with mixed results that showcased both their talents and challenges.

William Troost-Ekong, Michael Odibe, Taiwo Awoniyi, and Abdul-Jeleel Ajagun all found the back of the net for their respective European clubs, while several others faced varying degrees of success.

In the high-profile clash between Chelsea and Manchester City in the Premier League, Super Eagles forward Victor Moses found himself as an unused substitute as Chelsea succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge. The lone goal of the match came from former Chelsea player Kevin De Bruyne in the second half. This marked Chelsea’s second home defeat of the season, the first being a 3-2 loss to Burnley on the opening day, in which Moses also missed the action.

Meanwhile, Nigerian midfielder Wilfred Ndidi made his seventh English Premier League start of the season for Leicester City as they held AFC Bournemouth to a 0-0 draw. His compatriot, Kelechi Iheanacho, came on in the 69th minute, but the game ultimately ended in a stalemate. Ahmed Musa was not included in the squad for the game.

At the Hawthorns, Isaac Success was left out of Watford’s lineup as they managed a 2-2 draw against West Brom. Success is yet to feature in the EPL this season.

In Italy, Orji Okonkwo was an unused substitute for Bologna in Serie A as they faced Genoa. Michael Odibe scored his first goal of the season for Akzhayik Uralsk but ended up on the losing side as they fell 3-2 to Ordabasy Shymkent in the Kazakhstan first league.

Super Eagles stars William Troost-Ekong and Mikel Agu both made their seventh Turkish Super Lig starts for Bursaspor but were defeated 3-1 away to Kayserispor. Troost-Ekong managed to score his second goal of the campaign in the losing effort.

Kelechi Nwakali secured his first start in the Dutch Eredivisie division for VVV Venlo, helping them secure a 1-0 away victory over Excelsior.

Chidozie Awaziem played for 63 minutes in Nantes’ 1-0 win over Metz in France, while Taiwo Awoniyi scored his second goal of the season for Royal Excel Mouscron in Belgium. Their match ended in a 2-2 draw against KV Mechelen.

Ajagun added to the list of Nigerian goalscorers with his second goal of the season for Kortrijk but ended up on the losing side with a 2-1 defeat to Oostende. Joseph Akpala featured for Oostende for 19 minutes in the match.

The weekend’s football action proved both thrilling and challenging for Nigerian stars across Europe, as they continue to make their mark in the global footballing arena.