•Okereke scores again in Gaziantep win
•Osimhen, Uche bag assists
Nigerian players are gradually easing into the actions in the New Year with goals and assists. ABIODUN ADEWALE recaps their performances from the weekend
TURKEY
DAVID OKEREKE (GAZIANTEP)
Okereke hit the target for the second consecutive game in the Turkish Super Lig on Sunday after netting the lone goal in Gaziantep’s 1-0 win over Adana Demirspor on Sunday. Since making a loan switch from Italian outfit Cremonese, the 27-year-old has been in fine form and has now returned six goals and two assists in 13 league games. Sunday’s win moved them to the eighth position on the log.
VICTOR OSIMHEN (GALATASARAY)
Osimhen was instrumental for Galatasaray again on Sunday, bagging an assist in their 2-1 away win over Basaksehir, extending their lead in the Turkish league by 11 points. Osimhen showed great vision to find Baris Alper Yilmaz with a cheeky pass inside the box, and his first-time shot was precise and sailed low into the middle of the goal to give Gala the lead before halftime. The hosts however levelled matters after the break but the same man Yilmaz restored their lead.
Osimhen continues to enjoy his loan spell in Turkey, returning 10 goals and four assists in 13 league matches this season.
SPAIN
CHRISANTUS UCHE (GETAFE)
Nigerian midfielder Chrisantus Uche recorded his first goal contribution for Getafe in five months by grabbing an assist in their 2-1 win over Las Palmas on Sunday – a win that pushed them three points above the relegation zone. He scored his first goal for the club in their 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao on the opening day of the season in August 2024 but hasn’t been involved in any goal since then.
After a goalless first half, Uche set up the opening goal of the game for Coba da Costa, who sneaked in at the back post to head home his cross before Borja Mayoral made it two for the visitors six minutes to the end of the game. Las Palmas however pulled one back through Adnan Januzaj but the scoreline was enough for Uche and his teammates to mark their fourth win of the season.
Uche now has one goal and one assist in his debut La Liga season.
RASHEEDAT AJIBADE (ATLETICO WOMEN)
Super Falcons captain Ajibade completed another 90 minutes for Atletico Madrid Women on Sunday during their 3-0 win over Levante but the Nigerian wasn’t among the goal scorers. Before she was halted by an injury, Ajibade has been in great form for Atletico Women, scoring five goals plus two assists in her first eight appearances.
In her great start to the season, she was crowned Spanish Liga F Player of the Month for September, beating other top players like Barcelona’s Ewa Pajor, Real Madrid’s Caroline Weir, Levante Badalona’s María Llompart, and Athletic Club Femenino’s Nerea Nevado to the award.
She is currently on five goals and two assists in 11 league games this season.
FRANCE
AKOR ADAMS (MONTPELLIER)
Adams and Montpellier continue to swim at the bottom of the Ligue 1 table after yet another defeat at home against Angers on Sunday. The game went from bad to worse for them in stoppage time as they lost two players to the referee’s marching orders. Defender Kiki Kouyate was sent off after a second bookable offence while midfielder Jordan Ferri was given a straight red for a foul.
They have only won two games and the striker has now failed to score in nine league games with his last being a brace on September 22, 2024.
GERMANY
FRANK ONYEKA (AUGSBURG)
Super Eagles midfielder Onyeka remains consistent for Augsburg on loan but he was cautioned in their game against Stuttgart on Sunday. He was booked as early as the 15th minute in their first Bundesliga game of the year.
BELGIUM
RAPHAEL ONYEDIKA (CLUB BRUGGE)
Nigeria midfielder Onyedika has shaken off the muscle injury that kept him out for two weeks as he returned to the starting lineup for reigning champions Club Brugge on Sunday. The midfielder has one goal and one assist on 17 league games this term.
PORTUGAL
ZAIDU SANUSI (FC PORTO)
After being out for almost a year with an ACL injury, Zaidu made the bench for FC Porto in the league for the first time but it didn’t end well for the Portuguese giants who lost 2-0 against 14th-placed Nacional. The defeat saw them lose ground by a point in the title race against Sporting CP.
SCOTLAND
DESSERS, BALOGUN (RANGERS)
After sitting out of their last two games in the Scottish Premiership, Cyriel Dessers only started from the bench on Sunday as Rangers beat St Johnstone 3-1 at the Ibrox. The Nigerian striker only featured for 26 minutes and was not among the scorers as his goal drought entered the eighth game. His compatriot Leon Balogun was not listed for the game. The 30-year-old has six goals and two assists in 19 league games this season.