Nigerians abroad: Awoniyi’s NFFC slip into trouble; Tijani, Utaka, Sasere, Ebere on target in club wins

It was a busy day of football across different leagues and countries, with several Nigerian players featuring for their respective clubs.

In the Czech Republic, Muhamed Tijani was the hero for Banik Ostrava as his brace helped his team secure a crucial 2-1 home win over Viktoria Plzen.

In England, Taiwo Awoniyi did not take the chances that fell to him, while Emmanuel Dennis appeared from the bench for Nottingham Forest as the Tricky Trees suffered a 2-0 defeat at home to Manchester United. The win for the Red Devils lifted them to third place on the Premier League table.

Defeat, however, sees Awoniyi and Nottingham slip into the relegation zone with seven matches left of the 2022/2023 season. 

In France, Moses Simon assisted Nantes’ consolation goal in their narrow 2-1 away defeat to Auxerre. Meanwhile, Terem Moffi failed to replicate his Europa League heroics as he came on at halftime for OGC Nice but couldn’t help his team avoid a narrow 1-0 loss at Brest.

In Germany, Anthony Ujah provided an assist for the winning goal, while Aremu Afeez featured in Eintracht Braunschweig’s 2-1 away win over St. Pauli.

In Italy, Isaac Success and Kingsley Ehizibue featured for Udinese, but they suffered a 2-0 away defeat against Jose Mourinho’s Roma. Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong came off the bench to help Salernitana secure a valuable 1-1 draw at Torino.

In Japan, veteran forward Peter Utaka was the hero for Ventforet Kofu as he scored the only goal in their victory over Tochigi in the J2 League.

In Liechtenstein, Franklin Sasere was among the goals for Vaduz as they humiliated Bellinzona 6-1 in their Challenge League clash.

In the Netherlands’ second tier, Hamdi Akujobi continued his impressive form by scoring for the second game in a row as Almere City came from behind to hand ADO Den Haag a 2-3 defeat. 

In Portugal, Savour Godwin featured for Casa Pia AC as they were held to a draw in their away league game. Super Falcons midfielder Christy Ucheibe played a crucial role as SL Benfica Feminino cruised to a thumping 6-0 away victory over SC Braga.

In Uruguay, Christian Ebere scored the second goal for Plaza Colonia in their 2-0 win over Cerro Largo in a Primera División gameweek 11 fixture. Ebere was a member of Nigeria’s winning team at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup. 

Overall, it was an exciting day for Nigerian footballers playing across different leagues worldwide. Their performances will no doubt have pleased fans and followers of Nigerian football.