Five Super Eagles players were on target for their respective clubs last weekend
The recent weekend was a bountiful harvest of goals for Super Eagles players playing in Europe. From defenders to strikers, some players found relief and put smiles on the faces of their fans and paymasters by scoring or assisting.
Goal rush
Victor Osimhen (AS Roma vs Napoli)
Aside from scoring his third consecutive goal for Napoli against Roma on Sunday, Osimhen also assisted Luciano Spalletti in setting a record for the Partenopei as they moved to 11 consecutive victories in all competitions. The only time they came close was during the 1986/87 season when the late Diego Maradona captained the Neapolitans to 10 consecutive victories.
Osimhen scored in the 80th minute after he got on the end of a long pass and held off the former Manchester United defender, Chris Smalling, before firing a swerving effort from the right side past Rui Patricio. This was Osimhen's first goal against a top-six team in Italy since he joined Napoli in 2020.
It has been a refreshing restart for Osimhen in the Napoli setup since the forward returned from injury. He scored the game-winning goal for Napoli against Bologna the week before his current brilliant finish against Jose Mourinho's side.
Taiwo Awoniyi (Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool)
Awoniyi marked his third start of the season with a goal for his floundering club, Nottingham, against Liverpool, a club on whose roster he was for six years before his permanent transfer to Union Berlin in 2020.
The 55th-minute goal by the Nigerian striker proved to be the winning goal as Nottingham Forest battled to a 1-0 victory over the Reds.
Going into the game Forest had not won a match in the last two months, even their last victory before Saturday's stunning lone-goal win against Red. This was Awoniyi's first start since he scored two minutes into the first half of added time against West Ham.
Despite the challenge of being bottom of the table, Awoniyi still holds his head high because of the record he just set as being the first player to score in all his three starts for Forest.
Paul Onuachu (Royal Antwerp vs KRC Genk)
Onuachu has been all shades of greatness in his last five games, registering eight goals. Onuachu's latest exploit is a brace he got against Alhassan Yussuf's Royal Antwerp in a 3-1 victory on Sunday.
Earlier, Onuachu had scored a brace in a 6-1 thrashing of KVC Westerlo last Tuesday.
Peter Olayinka ( Slavia Praha vs Sparta Praha)
Peter Olayinka scored the fourth goal for Slavia Prague in a big 4-0 win over Sparta Praha on Sunday. Olayinka scored in the 48th minute to double his goals in the league for the Czech giants.
Leon Balogun (QPR vs Wigan)
Leon Balogun scored what eventually was the winner for QPR against Wigan in a 2-1 win. It was the defender's first goal for the season in eight appearances for the Championship side and he did score it when it mattered.
The Super Eagles defender scored with a header as he connected to Stefan Johansen's corner kick in the 24th minute, two minutes after Wigan's Nathan Broadhead had cancelled out Sam Field's 12th-minute opener.
William Troost Ekong (Watford vs Luton)
Troost Ekong scored his first goal since November 2020 for Watford in a 4-0 win over Luton at the Weekend. The Super Eagles defender scored with a header from Joao Pedro's cross in the 45th minute of the game.
Ola Aina (Udinese vs Torino)
Just like other Super Eagles defenders, Ola Aina also got on the scoresheet on Sunday for the first time since 17 February 2021 during Torino's 2-1 victory over Udinese.
Aina scored first in the encounter in the 14th minute from a left-footed guided finish after an assist from Aleksey Miranchuk. However, Aina's goal was cancelled out by Gerard Deulofeu in the 26th minute. The visitors got back the lead in the 69th minute from Pietro Pellegri.
Assists
Alex Iwobi (Everton vs Crystal Palace)
Iwobi won't stop making the headlines every week for Everton as he created two assists for his teammates against Crystal Palace on Saturday. The Nigerian midfielder made two clinical assists as the Toffees got back to winning ways when they trounced Crystal Palace 3-0 at Goodison Park on Saturday.
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Iwobi's first assist was for Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who just returned from injury in the 11th minute. Having been involved in multiple chances created by the Toffees, Iwobi also helped Dwight McNeil score his second goal of the season in the 84th minute.
Iwobi, 26, has caught the attention of Premier League watchers with virtuoso performances that continue to help the Frank Lampard-managed side stay above the relegation zone. He scored a screamer against Manchester United and was nominated for the Premier League player of the month award.
Moses Simon (OGC Nice v Nantes)
Moses Simon was instrumental in the 10-man Nantes 1-1 draw against OGC Nice on Sunday.
Nantes scored first after Moses Simon's pass found Ignatius Ganago, who slotted home for the visitors in the 49th minute, but Nicolas Pepe salvaged a point for the homers in the 97th minute.
This was the second assist for Simon, who had scored four goals for struggling Nantes in 10 games in the Ligue 1 this season.
