Young Nigerian striker Paul Mukairu came off the bench to inspire Anderlecht to a 1-0 win over Antwerp in a First Division A match on Sunday.
The 20-year-old, who joined the Belgian giants on loan from Turkish side Antalyaspor in October, got the winning goal barely a quarter of an hour after his introduction on the hour mark.
The victory lifts Vincent Kompany’s men to sixth on the league table with 20 points, two behind leaders Sporting Charleroi.
Victor Osimhen suffered his first Serie A defeat from open play on Sunday when Napoli fell to a 0-2 defeat at home to Sassuolo.
After a goalless first half at the Stadio San Paolo, Manuel Locatelli slammed home a penalty with an hour on the clock before Maxime Lopez’s strike five minutes into stoppage time secure the impressive win for the visitors.
Napoli’s first loss of the league season came from the boardroom where a 3-0 defeat to Juventus was recorded against Gennaro Gattuso’s men for failing to travel to Turin for a scheduled match. The Naples-based side also had a point deducted for their snub.
In Albania, it was a day splattered with goals made in Nigeria as FA Cup games were played across the country.
At the Stadiumi Redi Maloku in Fushë-Krujë, Henry Okebugwu scored the winning goal in Kastrioti Kruje’s 2-1 defeat of Burreli.
The Superliga side opened the scoring through Shkalla in the 55th minute, but their lower division visitors stunned them with an equaliser 20 minutes later before Okebugwu struck with eight minutes left to play.
Nigeria’s Patrick Eze was the star of the show at the Kompleksi Sportiv i Klubit Olimpik in Tiranë, grabbing a brace to lift Superliga club Kukesi to a 5-0 whitewashing of 2nd division Maliqi.
Eze scored the game’s third goal from the penalty spot before wrapping up the win with a fine finish in the 82nd minute.
In another Albanian Cup match, Theophilus Solomon was also in his scoring element, finding the net twice in Partizani Tirani’s 5-0 thrashing of Ilira Fushe-Kruje.
The 24-year-old Nigerian forward got the opener midway into the first half and was on hand to turn home the game’s fourth goal ten minutes into the second half as the hosts ran riot over their lowly visitors.
And finally, Effiong Eyong got the last goal of the match in Apolonia Fier’s 4-1 victory at home to Turbina Cerrik also in the Albania Cup.
Yeboah, Gjata and Mihana had given the hosts a three-goal lead before Sallaku got the visitors’ consolation goal. But Eyong ensured they departed the Fusha Sportive Frakull with a three-goal deficit with his 88th-minute strike.
