By Monsurah Olatunji
Nigeria international Raphael Onyedika marked a historic moment in his UEFA Champions League career by scoring his first-ever goal for Club Brugge in their match against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.
The Belgian side had the crowd stunned in the 45th minute when Onyedika fired a shot into the bottom right corner of the net, giving Club Brugge a 1-0 lead.
Teammate Ferran Jutglà played a well-timed pass to Onyedika, who quickly finished past City’s goalkeeper, Ederson.
Despite the early setback, Manchester City mounted a second-half comeback. Mateo Kovačić equalized for the hosts with a stunning strike from the edge of the box before a defensive mix-up led to an own goal, giving City the lead.
They sealed the victory with a third goal from Savinho, who finished off a fine team move.
The 3-1 win allowed Manchester City to secure their place in the UCL round of 16 playoffs, but Onyedika’s goal remains the standout moment for Club Brugge, as he netted his first Champions League goal in his 14th appearance in 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.
