FA Cup: Iheanacho Beats Aiyegbeni To New Record As Rodgers Praises Super Eagles Star’s Strike

The Super Eagles forward produced the magical moment for the Foxes in the closing stages of their encounter against the Seagulls

Kelechi Iheanacho is Nigeria’s most prolific goalscorer in the history of the English FA Cup with eleven goals.

It has taken the former Manchester City striker 17 appearances across six seasons playing for two different clubs to amass the tally that places him atop a scoring chart with notable names like Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Nwankwo Kanu, Victor Moses, and Odion Ighalo.

Five of Iheanacho’s FA Cup goals arrived in Manchester City’s colours, with the 24-year-old finding the net four times in his breakout 2015-16 season with the Citizens.

The Owerri-born attacker has notched another six strikes in the world’s oldest cup competition since his €27.7 million switch to Leicester City in 2017.

Iheanacho went level with Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Nigeria’s previous top scorer in the competition, on nine goals in January 2018 when he bagged a brace in Leicester’s 5-1 thrashing of Peterborough.

And in January 2020, the former Golden Eaglets hero became the most efficient Nigerian striker to ever play in the FA Cup, scoring the only goal as the Foxes dispatched Championship side Brentford.

A new landmark was set at the King Power Stadium on Wednesday when Iheanacho glanced home a late winner with seconds left on the clock from a Youri Tielemans cross to send Brendan Rodgers’ side to the quarterfinals of the FA Cup.

The Northern Irishman has hailed the ‘quick thinking’ of his men to craft out the late goal off a quickly taken corner kick with the game looking to go into extra time and possibly penalties.

“It was quick thinking by the players,” Rodgers told LCFC.

“They won the corner, played it quickly, and caught them unorganised. If they’re organised, they’ve got good height and presence.

“It was a great way to win it, with 25 seconds to go, so we’re delighted.”

With his late winning strike against Brighton Hove & Albion evening, Iheanacho has now gone clear at the top of the Nigerian scorer’s chart in the FA Cup, two goals more than Aiyegbeni and three more than three-time FA Cup winner Nwankwo Kanu.

That goal also takes Iheanacho within one goal of former Chelsea icon Didier Drogba, Africa’s top striker in the competition with 12 goals.