With Nigeria gearing up for crucial World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe, Modzero Sports brings you a detailed roundup of how Nigerian players fared for their respective clubs across Europe, Asia, and beyond this past weekend.
Goalkeepers 🧤
🔹 Stanley Nwabali (Chippa United, South Africa) – The Super Eagles shot-stopper delivered an outstanding performance, keeping a clean sheet and inspiring his side to a 2-0 home victory over Polokwane. His efforts helped Chippa United climb to 9th place in the South African Premiership.
🔹 Maduka Okoye (Udinese, Italy) – Returning from a 14-match injury layoff, Okoye continued his transition back to full fitness. However, he conceded a 72nd-minute goal in Udinese’s disappointing 1-0 loss to Verona.
Defenders 🛡️
🔹 William Troost-Ekong (Al Kholood, Saudi Arabia) – The Super Eagles captain completed the full 90 minutes but couldn’t prevent a 3-1 defeat to Al Nassr, where Cristiano Ronaldo and John Duran ran riot.
🔹 Bright Osayi-Samuel (Fenerbahçe, Turkey) – Came on as a second-half substitute but couldn’t inspire his side as Fenerbahçe played out a goalless draw against Samsunspor, leaving them 9 points behind Galatasaray with a game in hand.
🔹 Calvin Bassey (Fulham, England) – Put in a commanding performance at the heart of Fulham’s defense, shutting out Tottenham attackers in a 2-0 London Derby victory.
🔹 Jordan Torunarigha (Gent, Belgium) – Played the entire 90 minutes, but his side suffered a disappointing 2-1 home defeat to K.V. Kortrijk.
🔹 Ola Aina (Nottingham Forest, England) – Continued his impressive form as Forest defeated Ipswich Town 4-2, keeping their top-four chase alive in the English Premier League.
🔹 Igoh Ogbu (Sparta Prague, Czech Republic) – Marked his Super Eagles call-up with a brilliant Man of the Match performance, scoring an early 9th-minute goal in Sparta Prague’s dominant 3-0 victory over Jablonec. His side remains 7 points clear at the top of the Czech First League.
Midfielders 🎯
🔹 Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England) – Completed 90 minutes in Leicester’s disappointing 3-0 home loss to Manchester United, picking up a 77th-minute yellow card.
🔹 Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge, Belgium) – Produced a stellar midfield display, helping Brugge secure a 4-2 victory over Charleroi. His side remains in title contention, trailing Genk by 4 points.
🔹 Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi (New England Revolution, MLS) – Featured for 86 minutes in his side’s 2-1 away loss to New York City. He has now appeared in four consecutive MLS matches.
🔹 Alex Iwobi (Fulham, England) – Featured for 63 minutes in Fulham’s victory over Tottenham, contributing to their midfield dominance.
🔹 Joseph Ayodele-Aribo (Southampton, England) – Played the full match but couldn’t prevent Southampton’s 2-1 defeat to Wolves, as their Premier League struggles continued.
Forwards ⚽
🔹 Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan, Italy) – Was an unused substitute in AC Milan’s narrow 2-1 win over Como. It’s the second consecutive game he’s been left on the bench despite scoring against Lazio earlier this month.
🔹 Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray, Turkey) – The Super Eagles’ leading goal-scorer in Europe this season continued his red-hot form, netting a hat-trick in Galatasaray’s 4-0 demolition of Antalyaspor. His 20-goal tally makes him the highest-scoring Nigerian in Europe this season.
🔹 Ademola Lookman (Atalanta, Italy) – Africa’s current best player couldn’t spark his team to victory as Atalanta suffered a 2-0 loss to Inter Milan, dealing a blow to their title hopes.
🔹 Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany) – Came off the bench in the 57th minute and played a key role in Leverkusen’s 4-3 comeback win over Stuttgart. His crucial assist in the 88th minute set up the equalizer before his side secured a late winner.
🔹 Moses Simon (Nantes, France) – Produced a moment of brilliance, providing an 83rd-minute assist for the match-winning goal as Nantes shocked Lille to go 7 points clear of the relegation zone.
🔹 Sadiq Umar (Valencia, Spain) – Continued his resurgence with Valencia, playing 70 minutes in their hard-fought 1-1 draw against Girona, which boosted their La Liga survival hopes.
🔹 Tolu Arokodare (Genk, Belgium) – Maintained his scintillating form, scoring in the 69th minute as Genk secured a 2-1 win over Royale Union SG to stay top of the Belgian Pro League. The forward now has 17 league goals and 5 assists this season.
With World Cup qualifiers on the horizon, Nigerian players abroad are hitting peak form at just the right time. Victor Osimhen’s hat-trick, Tolu Arokodare’s goal-scoring spree, and Igoh Ogbu’s defensive masterclass are all positive signs for the Super Eagles.
