News

“It was my only dream” – Sparta Prague’s Olatunji reacts to surreal UEFA Champions League debut

Nigeria and Sparta Prague striker, Victor Oluyemi Olatunji, was delighted after making history in his side’s 3-0 UEFA Champions League win over RB Salzburg, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 25-year-old provided an assist and found the back of the net at the epet ARENA in Praha on Wednesday, becoming the first Nigerian to score and set up another goal on his Champions League debut.

Speaking after the game, the former Inter Bratislava forward revealed that scoring against Pepijn Lijnders’s side fulfilled a lifelong dream.

“I just wanted to put the ball in the back of the net. It was my only dream for tonight. We always play like a team and I really enjoyed it. For the third goal, I could have shot but I wanted to give us a bigger chance [of scoring], because missing that chance would not have been good for the team. I feel good, I feel great and I’m very happy for myself, because I worked hard to get to this point. I’m also happy for the team,” the Sokoto-born striker told UEFA.com.

Olatunji is yet to feature for the Nigerian senior football team, but with consistent performances like Wednesday’s, an invite to the Super Eagles in the near future should not be far-fetched.

He’ll be hoping to continue his brilliant Champions League form when Sparta Prague travel to the Mercedes Benz Stadium in two weeks to face Bundesliga side, VfB Stuttgart.

 

This post was last modified on September 19, 2024 10:59 am

Adefolahan Guerreiro

Adefolahan is a multilingual journalist and writer at Soccernet Nigeria. With a track record of involvement in College sports, Adefolahan is focused on crafting engaging football content and utilising his language skills and extensive sports knowledge to enhance content accessibility for a global audience. He has interviewed Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.

Share
Published by
Adefolahan Guerreiro

Recent Posts

Victor Osimhen’s playful banter with Kenneth Omeruo delights Galatasaray fans ahead of Fenerbahce clash

Galatasaray’s star striker Victor Osimhen engaged in some playful banter with his Super Eagles teammate… Read More

2 hours ago

“He makes others better” – Club Brugge boss hails Super Eagles star after Dortmund struggled to ‘neutralise’ him

Club Brugge manager Nicky Hayen has heaped praise on Nigerian midfielder Raphael Onyedika following his… Read More

3 hours ago

“We can have a great season”- Super Eagles hopeful begs Montpellier fans after rough start to Ligue 1 campaign

Nigerian striker Akor Adam's has appealed to Montpellier fans to keep faith in the team… Read More

5 hours ago

Nigeria’s Super Eagles stay ahead of South Africa and Ghana in new FIFA ranking

Nigeria men's national team has maintained their position at 39th in the latest FIFA Coca-Cola… Read More

5 hours ago

Official: Nigerian teenager Joel Yakubu joins Czech club Slovan Liberec from Abuja’s Mahanaim FC

Young Nigerian midfielder Joel Yakubu has completed a move to Czech Republic Premier League club,… Read More

6 hours ago

Show up in big games! – Ex-Super Eagles captain rattles Manchester City’s Haaland

Former Chelsea and Nigeria midfielder, John Mikel Obi, has charged Manchester City forward, Erling Braut… Read More

6 hours ago