The Nigerian duo showed their worth in multiple folds as a magnificent performance yielded the victory that sees Trabzonspor rise to the top of the Turkish top-flight table.
Former Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi made a fine return to the starting lineup – after a spell on the sidelines due to injury – and delivered a dominating display in the middle of the park on Saturday as the Black Sea Storm claimed a convincing 3-0 win over Ankaragucu.
It would be recalled that former Chelsea midfielder, Mikel announced his international retirement immediately after the 2019 AFCON tournament after leading the Super Eagles to a third place finish.
However, it is his compatriot, Anthony Nwakaeme who earned much of the plaudits after grabbing an assist and a goal in the win that fired Trabzonspor to the Turkish Super Lig summit.
Alexander Sorloth’s opener had handed Unal Karaman’s team a deserved first half lead before the Nwakaeme’s second half show began.
Shortly after the interval, the Nigeria forward showed his trickery on the ball when he provided the assist for Yusuf Sari’s goal which doubled the visitors’ lead at Eryaman Stadium.
Yet, Nwakaeme was not finished and with minutes to spare before the hour mark, the 30-year-old smashed home the goal his performance clearly merited, his third strike in his 12th league outing this season.
While Mikel was on from start to finish, Nwakaeme was replaced in the 73rd minute for Ghana’s Caleb Ekuban. The third Nigerian at the club, Ogenyi Onazi, did not make the match day squad as he continued his recovery following a long time injury layoff.
I know where this is going. You are now the hype man for Mikel. I will be damned if this is not an hortative message for Gernot Rohr and his coaching staff to bring back Mikel Obi. I pray, I am wrong.
Thumbs up.