Eagles watch: Balogun defies knock, Aribo struggles in Rangers win; Musa subbed on in stale Fatih draw

Soccernet brings you the highlights of a couple of European club games with early kickoff times on Sunday involving Super Eagles stars

Nigerian internationals Joe Aribo and Leon Balogun featured for 90 minutes to inspire Rangers to their seventh league win with a come-from-behind 2-1 win at St. Mirren in a Scottish Premiership gameweek ten encounter.

Balogun was a major doubt for the match at the SMISA Stadium after suffering a knock in Rangers 2-0 Europa League win over Brondby in midweek. The Super Eagles defender scored his first goal for the Gers in that tie.

But he recovered in time to start for Steven Gerrard’s side, making four clearances and two tackles, and was not dribbled past once.

Compatriot Aribo did not have a great game, creating zero shot all game, completing only two of seven attempted dribbles while losing possession 16 times. 

The 25-year-old midfielder did his bit defensively, though, as he contributed three tackles and one key pass for the reigning champions.

But goals from Kemar Roofe and Alfredo Morelos just before halftime were enough to cancel Connor Ronan’s 4th-minute opener for the hosts and return Rangers to the top of the league table.

In Turkey, Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa was a second-half substitute as Fatih Karagumruk managed a stale 1-1 draw at home to Hatayspor.

Musa had been involved from the start in each of Fatih Karagumruk’s last two league wins, but manager Atılay Canel opted to leave the Nigerian forward on the bench at the Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadium in İstanbul.

In an unpredictable first-half, high-flying Hatayspor struck first on the half-hour mark through Moroccan forward Ayoub El Kaabi, but Serbian attacker Aleksandar Pesic equalised for the home side eight minutes later.

Despite Musa’s introduction just past the hour mark, Fatih could not muster a winning goal. The hosts were even lucky not to lose the match in the closing stages after getting reduced to ten men following the dismissal of Norwegian defender Eggen Hedenstad.

A win would have taken Fatih above the visitors and into second place behind leaders Trabzonspor.

Musa has featured in nine of Fatih’s ten league matches since he arrived in the summer, making the starting eleven in all but Sunday’s tie. The ex-Leicester City ace has contributed a goal and an assist.