This weekend saw Nigerian footballers in action across Europe’s top leagues, with performances that left a mark on scoreboards.
From impressive goals to thrilling comebacks, here’s a roundup of how they fared.
Ademola Lookman – Serie A
Ademola Lookman celebrates. (Photo by Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
What a year it’s been for Ademola Lookman! After a fantastic 14th-place finish in the recent Ballon d’Or rankings, the Nigerian forward is proving why he’s one of the continent’s finest.
Lookman shined once again, scoring twice to lead Atalanta to a dominant 3-0 victory over Serie A leaders Napoli at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
He opened the scoring in the 10th minute and doubled the lead in the 31st. Atalanta’s leading scorer, Mateo Retegui, added a third in stoppage time, helping the club leap into second place with 22 points from 11 games.
Lookman now boasts 5 goals and 5 assists this season in 11 appearances.
Come December 16th, can anyone challenge Lookman for the African Player of the Year?
Ola Aina – Premier League
Ola Aina scores his team’s third goal during the Premier League match against and West Ham United FC at City Ground. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Super Eagles defender Ola Aina had a standout weekend, scoring his first goal of the season—and his first in a year—for Nottingham Forest.
Forest continued their fine form with a 3-0 win over West Ham, climbing to their highest Premier League position in 26 years.
Aina’s performance was a highlight, with his beautifully struck goal from just outside the box showcasing his attacking skills and underlining his importance to Forest’s strong season. Goals from Chris Wood and Callum Hudson-Odoi rounded off the scoreline, lifting Forest into third place.
Cyriel Dessers – Scottish League Cup
Cyriel Dessers celebrates scoring to make it 1-1 during the Cup semi-final match between Motherwell and Rangers at Hampden Park. (Photo by Alan Harvey/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Super Eagles forward Cyriel Dessers broke an eight-game goal drought in style, helping Rangers secure a 2-1 victory over Motherwell and book a place in the League Cup final.
After trailing in the first half, Rangers came out firing, and Dessers ended his scoring drought just four minutes after the restart, converting a well-timed pass from Barron to equalize.
Dessers exited in the 67th minute, and Nedim Bajrami later scored the winner for Rangers in the 81st, sealing their place in the final.
Bright Osayi-Samuel – Turkish Süper Lig
Bright Osayi-Samuel. (Photo by Hakan Burak Altunoz/Anadolu via Getty Images)
In Turkey, Bright Osayi-Samuel played his fourth game of the season in Fenerbahce’s dramatic 3-2 comeback win over Trabzonspor. Despite initially leading 1-0, Fenerbahce found themselves 2-1 down, but fought back with resilience to claim victory.
Osayi-Samuel, who was booked in the 59th minute, was subbed off by head coach Jose Mourinho in the 66th minute. Though he may be approaching the end of his contract this season, the 26-year-old’s commitment remains unwavering. Fenerbahce’s win pushed them to second place with 23 points from 10 games.
Victor Boniface – Bundesliga
Victor Boniface is challenged by Anthony Rouault during the Bundesliga match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart at BayArena. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
Victor Boniface and Bayer Leverkusen faced a frustrating evening as they were held to a 0-0 draw against VfB Stuttgart at the BayArena. Boniface had several chances to score, including a one-on-one in the 74th minute, but couldn’t convert.
After a string of strong performances, Boniface struggled to find his rhythm in this match and was replaced by Patrik Schick in the 86th minute. His fellow Nigerian, Nathan Tella, also featured briefly, playing four minutes.
