Awoniyi Opens Premier League Account, Osimhen and Orban Score as Arokodare Continues Hot Streak
Iheanacho’s 12-match scoring run ends, while Onyedika, Moffi, Suleiman and Ayaosi also find the net as Iwobi reaches Premier League milestone
Nigerian footballers delivered another impressive weekend across Europe, with Taiwo Awoniyi opening his Premier League scoring account for the season, Victor Osimhen and Gift Orban finding the net in Turkey, and Tolu Arokodare maintaining his rich goalscoring form with a match-winning strike for Ajax.
Raphael Onyedika, Terem Moffi, Mubarak Suleiman and Emmanuel Ayaosi also got on the scoresheet, while Alex Iwobi reached a significant Premier League appearance milestone. However, Kelechi Iheanacho’s remarkable 12-match scoring streak came to an end despite Bursaspor securing a comfortable victory.
Awoniyi Opens Premier League Scoring Account
Taiwo Awoniyi ended his wait for a Premier League goal this season, finding the net in Coventry City’s 3-1 victory over Sunderland.
The Nigerian striker doubled Coventry’s advantage in the 37th minute, capitalising on a defensive error to finish confidently.
Tatsuhiro Sakamoto had opened the scoring in the 17th minute before Jack Rudoni added a third after the restart.
Enzo Le Fée converted a penalty for Sunderland, but Coventry held on to claim all three points.
The goal represents an important boost for Awoniyi as he looks to establish himself as a regular contributor to Coventry’s Premier League campaign.
Osimhen Scores as Orban Keeps Pace in Turkey
Victor Osimhen continued his impressive goalscoring form for Galatasaray, finding the net in their emphatic 4-0 victory over Konyaspor in the Turkish Super Lig.
The Nigerian striker opened the scoring in the 12th minute, heading home Gabriel Sara’s free-kick to set the Turkish champions on their way to another convincing victory.
The strike took Osimhen’s tally to nine goals for the campaign, further strengthening his position among the league’s leading scorers.
Gift Orban also maintained his impressive form, scoring in Amed SK’s 5-1 demolition of Eyüpspor.
Orban struck in the 35th minute to extend Amed’s advantage, while Samuel Ballet scored twice in a commanding team performance.
Nigerian forward Ahmed Abdullahi, who featured for Eyüpspor, grabbed his side’s consolation goal in the 73rd minute.
Orban’s latest contribution keeps him firmly in the goalscoring conversation in Turkey, alongside his compatriot Osimhen.
Onyedika and Moffi Score in Bundesliga Encounter
Nigerian players also made their mark in Germany, with Raphael Onyedika and Terem Moffi both finding the net in Eintracht Frankfurt’s 3-1 victory over Hamburg.
Moffi briefly restored parity for Hamburg in the 14th minute after the visitors had fallen behind through an own goal.
However, Frankfurt regained control after the break, with Onyedika scoring in the 47th minute to restore his side’s advantage.
Younes Ebnoutalib added a third in the 69th minute to complete the victory.
Although Moffi ended on the losing side, both Nigerians made their presence felt in an encounter that highlighted their attacking contributions.
### Iwobi Surpasses Salah’s Premier League Appearance Record
Alex Iwobi reached another career milestone after making his 329th Premier League appearance in Fulham’s 1-1 draw against Aston Villa.
The Nigerian midfielder moved ahead of Mohamed Salah’s 328 appearances to become the African player with the second-highest number of appearances in Premier League history.
Former Arsenal and Manchester City defender Kolo Touré remains ahead with 353 appearances.
Iwobi also played a part in Fulham’s equaliser, with his corner contributing to an own goal by Aston Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki in the 64th minute.
His compatriot Calvin Bassey also featured as Fulham recovered from an early deficit to secure a share of the points.
Arokodare Maintains Hot Streak with Ajax Winner
Tolu Arokodare continued his impressive goalscoring form, netting the decisive goal in Ajax’s 1-0 victory over AZ Alkmaar.
The Nigerian forward struck in the ninth minute, heading home a cross from Abdellah Ouazane to give Ajax an early advantage.
His effort ultimately proved decisive as the Amsterdam side held on to secure an important victory.
Arokodare’s latest contribution further underlined his growing importance to Ajax’s attacking options and extended his productive run in front of goal.
Iheanacho’s 12-Match Scoring Streak Ends
Kelechi Iheanacho’s remarkable goalscoring sequence for Bursaspor came to an end despite his side recording a convincing 3-0 victory over Bandırmaspor.
The Nigerian forward had scored in 12 consecutive appearances before the encounter but was unable to extend his remarkable run.
Halil Akbunar opened the scoring in the seventh minute before Lewis Baker struck twice to put Bursaspor firmly in control.
Although Iheanacho missed out on another goal, his contribution remains significant to Bursaspor’s promotion ambitions following an impressive scoring sequence.
Suleiman and Ayaosi Shine in Czech Republic
Nigerian youngsters Mubarak Suleiman and Emmanuel Ayaosi also enjoyed productive outings in the Czech Republic.
Suleiman scored twice as Slavia Praha recorded an emphatic 5-0 victory over Jablonec, while Ayaosi also found the net to cap another impressive performance.
Their contributions further highlighted the growing presence of Nigerian players in European football, particularly among the emerging generation seeking to establish themselves beyond the country’s established internationals.
Another Productive Weekend for Nigerian Stars
From Awoniyi’s first Premier League goal of the season to Osimhen and Orban’s continued scoring exploits in Turkey, Arokodare’s match-winning contribution and the goals from Onyedika, Moffi, Suleiman and Ayaosi, Nigerian players had plenty to celebrate across Europe.
Iwobi’s latest Premier League milestone added another notable achievement, while Iheanacho’s scoring streak may have ended, but his impressive run remains one of the standout individual stories of the campaign.
