Euro Roundup: Another Nigerian Star Makes UCL Playoffs, Iwobi Missing Again

After Chuba Akpom and Anderson Esiti helped PAOK Thessaloniki secure a place in the UEFA Champions League playoffs, Frank Onyeka and Leke James have also joined them.

Onyeka featured for the entire duration as FC Midtjylland secured a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Swiss club Young Boys.

The 22-year-old, who has been tipped for a Super Eagles call-up, was solid in the middle of the park for Brian Priske’s side.

Midtjylland took the lead six minutes after the break courtesy of a Jordan Lefort own goal. Anders Dreyer then added a second in the 62nd minute before Awer Mabil’s strike six minutes from time secured a comfortable win for the Wolves.

The Danish side will now face Slavia Praha over two legs in the playoff for a place in the group stage. Meanwhile, Norwegian side, Molde also booked their place in the playoffs following a penalty shootout win over Qarabag.

Nigeria’s Leke James was in action for 98 minutes before he was taken off for Mathis Bolly. Molde are now just two games away from the Champions League group stage and could achieve that feat if they beat Ferencvaros in the playoffs.

Away from the Champions League, Alex Iwobi was missing again as Everton kicked off their Carabao Cup campaign with a 3-0 win over Salford.

Iwobi, who has been transfer-listed by Everton, also missed the Toffees win over Spurs in the opening weekend of the new Premier League season.

Goals from Michael Keane, Gylfi Sigurdsson and a Moise Kean penalty secured Everton’s passage to the next round.

Finally, Semi Ajayi was an unused substitute as West Brom also sealed their place in the next round of the Carabao Cup following a 3-0 win over Harrogate. Rekeem Harper, Hal Robson-Kanu and Callum Robinson were the scorers for the Baggies on Wednesday night.

This post was last modified on September 17, 2020 8:46 am

Joba Ogunwale

Oluwajoba Ogunwale has many years of experience as a sports content writer. The most recent of these was at Opera News, after which he took up the role of Editor-in-Chief at Soccernet.

Share
Published by
Joba Ogunwale

Recent Posts

Chrisantus Uche gifts young fan his shirt after racial abuse outcry in Getafe-Barcelona draw

Nigerian midfielder Chrisantus Uche turned a challenging period into an inspiring moment after Getafe’s 1-1… Read More

2 hours ago

Euro Leagues update: Rasheedat Ajibade shines for Atletico Madrid, Lookman’s excellent strike insufficient for Atalanta

Super Falcons star Rasheedat Ajibade scored for Atletico Madrid in their 1-1 draw against Levante… Read More

7 hours ago

Serie A giants Juventus join race for Super Eagles star with two goals for Nigeria

Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, the Super Eagles midfielder dazzling in Serie A with Lazio, has become a… Read More

20 hours ago

Samuel Chukwueze: Super Eagles star set to return to training at AC Milan after hamstring injury

Super Eagles winger Samuel Chukwueze is set to return to training at AC Milan next… Read More

20 hours ago

AFCON 2025: Nigeria’s Osimhen, Gabon’s Aubameyang make bold predictions for MVP award

Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen and Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have shared their predictions for the… Read More

21 hours ago

Nottingham Forest head coach denies Awoniyi exit talks, backs Super Eagles striker to hit top form

Nottingham Forest head coach, Nuno Espirito Santo, has shunned exit talks concerning Super Eagles striker,… Read More

22 hours ago