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Chukwueze gets his first goal in the Italian Serie A
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Dele-Bashiru and Olawoyin score their fifth goals in the Turkish league
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Kanu scores in the USA while Alozie, Onumonu, and Payne lose
Nigerian players abroad had an impressive weekend, with Samuel Chukwueze scoring his first Serie A goal for AC Milan. The Super Falcons Stars also performed well, ABIODUN ADEWALE writes
SUNDAY
ITALY
SAMUEL CHUKWUEZE (AC MILAN)
Eight months after moving to Serie A giants AC Milan from Villareal, Nigerian winger Samuel Chukwueze finally scored his first goal in the league, in his 17th appearance for the club in the competition. His long wait ended in their 3-1 away win over Hellas Verona, and the goal came in style with a volley on the edge of the box. With one goal and one assist in the league so far, the 24-year-old will hope to replicate his form for Villareal in the La Liga, where he scored 37 goals and made 31 assists in 207 games across all competitions.
MICHAEL FOLORUNSO (HELLAS VERONA)
Italian-born midfielder of Nigerian descent, Folorunsho, couldn’t replicate his goal-scoring form from last week as his club, Hellas Verona, lost 3-1 at home against AC Milan on Sunday. Christian Pulisic, Theo Hernandez, and Samuel Chukwueze were all on target for Milan, while Verona’s only goal came from Tijjani Noslin.
ENGLAND
CHUKWUEMEKA, MADUEKE (CHELSEA)
Substitutes Carney Chukwuemeka and Noni Madueke secured victory for Chelsea in their 4-2 win over Leicester City in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. After the Blues had taken a 2-0 lead, some mistakes saw the visitors equalize at 2-2. Mauricio Pochettino turned to the bench and brought on Chukwuemeka, who is returning from injury, and slotted in after a clever flick from Cole Palmer, while Madueke finished off the job with a long-range strike in added time. The goals were the first for both players in the competition. Madueke has also scored twice in 12 EPL appearances, while Chukwuemeka has one league goal in six appearances. Both players have also represented England at youth levels and are eligible to play for Nigeria.
NDIDI, IHEANACHO (LEICESTER CITY)
Wilfred Ndidi played his third consecutive game for Leicester on Sunday since returning from a muscle injury. He was involved for 77 minutes as the Foxes lost 4-2 against Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter-finals. His compatriot, Kelechi Iheanacho, was an unused substitute in the game.
SPAIN
RASHEEDAT AJIBADE (ATLETICO)
Ajibade came off the bench for Atletico Madrid Feminine in their league game against Granada on Sunday and played a crucial role in their 1-0 win. She still has four goals and four assists in 20 games this season, not missing any of their matches.
MONDAY, BABAJIDE (TENERIFE)
It was a disappointing day for Gift Monday and Rinsola Babajide at home on Sunday as they were beaten 7-0 at the Campo de Fútbol Pablos Abril. While Babajide started the game, she was replaced by Monday in the 67th minute with the score at 6-0. Two minutes after coming on, Monday scored an own goal to complete the rout for their visitors.
GERMANY
NATHAN TELLA (BAYER LEVERKUSEN)
Tella played for eight minutes as Bayer Leverkusen continued their push for their first Bundesliga title with another 3-2 win over Freiburg. Xabi Alonso’s team still have a 10-point lead over Bayern Munich with Tella also on five goals and one assist in 17 appearances.
BELGIUM
RAPHEAL ONYEDIKA (CLUB BRUGGE)
Onyedika played a full 90 minutes for Club Brugge but they lost 2-1 away at St. Truiden. Despite the loss, they have secured a place in the title playoffs as they are fourth in the table with 51 points after 30 games.
EJUKE, YUSUF (ANTWERP)
Chidera Ejuke and Alhassan Yusuf played for Antwerp in their 1-1 draw against Royale Union SG.
AROKODARE, SOR (GENK)
TURKEY
OLAWOYIN, AKINTOLA (RIZESPOR)
Ibrahim Olawoyin scored his fifth Super Lig goal in Rizespor’s 3-1 win over Gaziantep on Sunday. When the score was 1-1 in the closing stages, the midfielder started the play and quickly ran into the box to connect a teasing cross with a header to make the score 2-1 for Rizespor while his teammate, Altin Zeqiri, scored the third goal in added time. Akintola, who was making his sixth appearance for the club, could not score in his 83-minute feature.
FISAYO DELE-BASHIRU (HATAYASPOR)
One-cap Super Eagles midfielder, Dele-Bashiru, came on as a second half substitute, scored one and assisted another in Hatayaspor’s 3-0 win over Samsunspor. He replaced Massanga Matondo in the 56th minute and found the target for his fifth goal of the season in the 89th minute thanks to an assist from Rigoberto Rivas. He also provided an assist in added time for Hatayspor’s third goal, his third of the season.
KENNETH OMERUO (KASIMPASA)
Super Eagles defender, Omeruo, played the full duration and was booked for a foul in their 4-3 loss at home to leaders Galatasaray. Since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, he has played the full duration of Kasimpasa’s five league games as they continue their fight for a place in Europe next season.
PAUL ONUACHU (TRABZONSPOR)
BRIGHT OSAYI-SAMUEL (FENERBAHCE)
USA
IFEOMA OUMONU (UTAH ROYALS)
Super Falcons striker Ifeoma Onumonu was on the losing side in the opening week of the National Women’s Soccer League on Sunday as her Utah Royals side lost 2-0 at home against Chicago Women.
SATURDAY
ENGLAND
IWOBI, BASSEY (FULHAM)
Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi continued their good form at club level as Fulham won 3-0 against Tottenham Hotspurs, with Bassey’s defensive skills and Iwobi’s creative talents proving crucial. Iwobi contributed to Fulham’s second goal, while Bassey hit the woodwork before the Cottagers scored their third of the afternoon.
EMMANUEL DENNIS (WATFORD)
Dennis was the hero for Watford FC, scoring the only goal and his third since returning to the championship in a hard-fought 1-0 win over Birmingham City FC.
FRANCE
TEREM MOFFI (NICE)
Striker, Moffi, impressed with two goals and guided OGC Nice to a thrilling 3-1 win over RC Lens in Ligue 1. He has now scored nine league goals and also has two assists.
CHIAMAKA NNADOZIE (PARIS FC)
Super Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie stole the show with another remarkable penalty save and a clean sheet, inspiring Paris FC to a dominant 4-0 away win against Guingamp. It was the 23-year-old’s sixth penalty save of the campaign. With her latest penalty heroics, Nnadozie has now kept an impressive five clean sheets across all competitions in the 2023/24 season so far for her French club.
MOSES SIMON (NANTES)
The flashy winger, Simon, made three opportunities, but none were converted as Nantes lost 3-1 at home to Strasbourg.
SPAIN
TONI PAYNE (SEVILLA)
Toni Payne, a standout player for the Super Falcons, performed exceptionally in midfield for Sevilla as they easily won 3-0 against Levante Las Planas at the Estadio Jesús Navas.
USA
UCHENNA KANU (RACING LOUISVILLE)
Super Falcons forward Uchenna Kanu scored during the opening weekend of the 2023/24 NWSL season, securing a goal for Racing Louisville FC in an exciting 2-2 draw against Orlando Pride.
MICHELLE ALOZIE (HOUSTON DASH)
Defender Alozie only played for 18 minutes in Houston Dash’s disappointing 5-1 defeat against North Carolina Courage.
NICOLE PAYNE (PORTLAND THORNS)
Nicole Payne made her NWSL debut for Portland Thorns FC, but it did not go as planned, as her team suffered a 5-4 loss to Kansas City Current.
