Two Super Eagles stars set title challenge as league race enters crunch home run

There is a lot to play for in Europe and beyond for a couple of Nigerian footballers with only a few weeks left for the 2021/22 season to run to an end

Super Eagles stars Odion Ighalo and Umar Sadiq have not given up hopes of winning the league titles in Saudi Arabia and Spain, respectively.

Odion Ighalo notched a goal and an assist on Saturday to power Al Hilal to a 4-2 win at Damak, as the reigning champions close the gap on league leaders Al Ittihad to nine points.

Al Ittihad will secure the league title if they win three of their remaining four league matches, but Al Hilal will hope to overtake their rivals by winning the five games they have left.

And Ighalo has charged his teammates to view their remaining league games as cup finals.

The Super Eagles striker wrote on Instagram: “6 more finals vamos @alhilal.f.c.”

Ighalo has never won a league title in any of Spain, Italy, England, or China, where he previously played.

Though he lifted the Chinese FA Cup with Shanghai Shenhua, the 32-year-old only finished as Championship runner-up with Watford and Saudi Arabia Pro League runner-up with Al Shabab last year.

Similarly, compatriot Umar Sadiq has urged Almeria to push through their last three league matches and secure promotion to the Spanish Primera Division.

Sadiq was on target at the weekend as Almeria crushed Amorebieta at the Mediterranean Games Stadium to go top of the Segunda Division.

Two wins out of their three remaining games will secure promotion to La Liga for La Union, but Sadiq wants victory in all three to seal the first league win of his professional career.

The former Rangers striker wrote on Instagram: “3 more finals, today Mediterráneos was on (fire).”

Apart from winning the Campionato Primavera 1 with Roma youth in 2016, Sadiq has only finished as Super Liga runner-up with Serbia’s Partizan Belgrade.