Nigerians abroad: Kanu, Adekunle, Igbekeme, Maja on target; Ighalo caged; Simon humbled

In the world of football, there’s always something happening every day, and it was no different on Saturday, April 29th.

From England to Turkey, Saudi Arabia to Slovakia, and beyond, football matches were played with various Nigerian players featuring for their respective clubs.

In this Soccernet.ng report, we’ll take a look at the performances of Nigerian footballers in various leagues around the world. Get ready for an adrenaline-fueled ride!

ENGLAND

West Brom came back from a goal down to secure a thrilling 2-1 victory over Norwich City in the Championship, with Semi Ajayi putting up a rock-solid performance at the back.

The English Premier League also witnessed a scintillating encounter as Frank Onyeka came off the bench to provide the assist for Brentford’s winner against Nottingham Forest, who had Taiwo Awoniyi on their squad, but Emmanuel Dennis remained an unused sub.

In the Women Super League, Super Falcons centreback Ashleigh Plumptre displayed her skills as she scored a beautiful header to help Leicester City Women secure a resounding 4-0 win over Liverpool.

FRANCE

Meanwhile, it was a day to forget for Moses Simon as Nantes suffered a scandalous 5-1 defeat against Toulouse at the Stade de France in the Coupe de France final, where he could only feature for 45 minutes.

In Ligue 2, Josh Maja continued his remarkable form, smashing home his fourth goal in as many games as his 82nd-minute strike helped Girondins Bordeaux to a spectacular 2-0 away victory at Valenciennes, taking his league goal tally to an impressive 16 and establishing a healthy three-point lead over third-placed FC Metz.

GERMANY

Kevin Akpoguma was a standout performer for Hoffenheim in their clash with RB Leipzig, but Christopher Nkunku’s 28th-minute goal was enough to secure a crucial 1-0 home win for the hosts in the Bundesliga.

POLAND

Over in Poland, James Igbekeme was on target once again, rounding up the scoring in Wisla Krakow’s 3-0 trouncing of Chojniczanka Chojnice in the Polish I Lig.

SAUDI ARABIA

In Saudi Arabia, Odion Ighalo’s hopes of adding to his seven continental goals were dashed as ten-man Al Hilal were held to a 1-1 home draw by Japanese giants Urawa Red Diamonds in the final of the AFC Champions League at the King Fahd International Stadium.

Al Hilal will look to perform better in the return leg scheduled for next week if they are to claim a record fifth continental title.

SCOTLAND

In Scotland, Joseph Cardle’s stoppage-time winner ensured a 2-1 victory for Kelty Hearts over Peterhead in the Scottish League One, despite Joshua Oyinsan’s 62nd-minute equaliser for the visitors.

SLOVAKIA

In Slovakia, Wisdom Kanu and Usman Adekunle were on the scoresheet for Zemplín Michalovce, but it was not enough as hosts Skalica carved out a 3-2 win in their Super Liga clash.

TURKEY

Finally, in Turkey, Bright Osayi-Samuel was in fine form, putting up a fantastic performance to help ten-man Fenerbahce secure a comfortable 3-1 win over Sivasspor, despite being booked on the hour mark.

The victory saw Fenerbahce rise to within three points of leaders Galatasaray in the league standings.