It was a busy weekend for Nigerian footballers across Europe and beyond, with several making headlines for their clubs.
From Kelechi Iheanacho’s dramatic goal in Scotland to Victor Boniface’s assist in Germany and Esther Okoronkwo’s brace in Canada, Nigerian footballers continued to shine on foreign soil.
In Scotland, Kelechi Iheanacho finally broke his six-month goal drought, marking his debut for Celtic with a late winner.
Introduced in the 70th minute against Kilmarnock, the forward made no mistake when presented with a stoppage-time penalty in the 96th minute, handing Brendan Rodgers’ side a 2-1 victory at Rugby Park.
The Nigerian footballer, who joined Celtic after leaving Sevilla, was also booked in the 97th minute.
His debut, however, came with an amusing twist, as his name was misspelt as “Iheancho” on his shirt.
In Germany, Victor Boniface made an immediate impact for Werder Bremen in their 4-0 rout of Borussia Monchengladbach.
Coming on in the 75th minute, the striker registered an assist just six minutes later. Boniface, who had a summer move to AC Milan collapse, will hope to build on his bright start. His compatriot, Felix Agu, played the full match.
France also witnessed Nigerian influence as Moses Simon featured for Paris FC in their 2-1 win over Brest. Though he did not score or assist before being substituted in the 60th minute, Simon has already registered two goals and an assist this season for the Ligue 1 newcomers.
Elsewhere in Italy, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru started for Lazio but was withdrawn at halftime as they fell 1-0 to Sassuolo. In Greece, Cyriel Dessers debuted for Panathinaikos, earning a yellow card in their 3-2 defeat to Kifisia.
In Turkey, Paul Onuachu saw an early strike ruled out by VAR and picked up a booking as Trabzonspor lost 1-0 to Fenerbahce. His compatriot, Anthony Nwakaeme, was absent through injury. Meanwhile, Anthony Dennis started for Goztepe, lasting 79 minutes in a 1-1 draw at Kayserispor.
Saturday’s fixtures also brought highlights. Rafiu Durosinmi returned from illness to score the only goal for Viktoria Plzen in their Czech First League win over Sigma Olomouc.
In England, Tolu Arokodare made his Premier League debut for Wolves in a narrow 1-0 defeat to Newcastle, while Chisantus Uche came off the bench for Crystal Palace in their goalless draw with Sunderland.
Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey both featured in Fulham’s 1-0 win over Leeds, though new signing Samuel Chukwueze was not included in the squad.
Beyond Europe, Esther Okoronkwo stole the show in Canada, scoring twice as AFC Toronto hammered Vancouver Rise 7-0 in the Northern Super League. The brace ensured Toronto maintained their top spot and booked a playoff berth.
In Saudi Arabia, Ashleigh Plumptre captained Al Ittihad to a 2-1 win over Al Ula, providing the assist for the decisive goal, while Francisca Ordega also featured late on.
The post Top Performing Nigerian Players Abroad Last Weekend: Iheanacho Scores, Boniface Makes Debut, Others appeared first on Naija News.
