First leg games of the second qualifying round of the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League were played across several European cities on Thursday, with a few Nigerian stars leading their clubs to earn positive results
At the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, Nigerian kid wonder Akinkunmi Amoo was brilliant for the 82 minutes he was on the pitch to inspire Swedish side Hammarby to a first-leg 3-1 advantage over Maribor.
However, the star of the night was Swedish-born Kosovo forward Astrit Selmani, who netted a second-half hat-trick for the home side.
19-year-old Amoo helped Hammarby lift the Svenska Cupen in May, after a final penalty shootout victory over Hacken, which handed the club the chance to feature in the Europa Conference League.
The former Golden Eaglets star has already smashed in four goals in eleven Allsvenskan games this term.
In Moldova, it was a victorious return to the European circuit for Nigerian forward Leke James as his Sivasspor side claimed a vital 1-0 away to Petrocub.
James, who recently joined the Turkish club after an uneventful spell in the Middle East, was an 80th-minute substitute for compatriot and Super Eagles striker Kayode Olanrewaju.
Defender Caner Osmanpasa’s 16th-minute effort proved to be the winning strike for the Turkish side.
