It’s only been a month and few days that Chelsea hoisted the Champions League trophy, but this season’s competition is already underway, and a Nigerian has already made his mark
Forgotten Nigeria international Ogenyi Onazi scored a fantastic goal to help his club FK Zalgiris Vilnius to a 2-1 away win at Linfield and a 5-2 aggregate victory in the second leg of their Champions League first qualifying round clash.
Vilnius went into the clash after securing a 3-1 win over the team from Northern Ireland in the first leg last Wednesday.
The Lithuanian side started brightly and they took the lead in the 17th minute through Saulius Mikoliūnas. It looked like the away side would take a goal lead into the break until Onazi scored the goal of the match just a minute before half-time.
The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner fired in a brilliant shot from outside the box, leaving Linfield goalkeeper with no chance.
Watch @OnaziOgenyi's spectacular goal for Zalgiris against 🇮🇪 Linfield in the @ChampionsLeague qualifying rounds last night. His team won 2-1 to advance to the next stage.
He is gradually getting back to his best form. pic.twitter.com/5MRh6bdGAt
— Andrew Randa (@RandaAndrew) July 14, 2021
Onazi’s goal ensured Vilnius went into the break in a commanding position. Although Linfield pulled one back after the break, Onazi’s scorcher was enough to give his side the win.
It’s his third goal for the Lithuanian side this season. Onazi joined Vilnius from Danish club SönderjyskE in February 2021.
The 28-year-old has made 21 appearances in all competitions for his new club. Onazi has 51 caps for Nigeria, but he has not played for the three-time African champions since 2018.
