“He was the boss” – Super Eagles star earns Scottish media’s praise after Celtic’s draw with Club Brugge

Nigeria international Raphael Onyedika delivered a standout performance for Club Brugge in their hard-fought 1-1 draw against Scottish champions Celtic in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night, Soccernet.ng reports.

Fresh from a commanding 3-1 victory over RB Leipzig in their previous Champions League outing, Celtic were slight favourites to triumph in this gameweek five clash.

However, the Belgian side proved resolute, taking the lead in the first half courtesy of a Cameron Carter-Vickers own goal.

Celtic responded through Japanese forward Daizen Maeda, who netted a 60th-minute equaliser to ensure a share of the spoils.

At the heart of Club Brugge’s impressive performance was Onyedika, whose dominant midfield display drew significant plaudits.

The Super Eagles star completed 90% of his 52 passes, touched the ball 61 times, and registered one key pass, showcasing his technical precision.

His defensive contributions were equally remarkable, winning all four of his ground duels, executing three tackles, and making a crucial interception in a commanding all-around display.

The Scottish media took notice, with The Scottish Sun (via Voetbal Nieuws) heaping praise on the 23-year-old Nigerian:

“Club Brugge had it easy everywhere, but no one more so than midfielder Raphael Onyedika.

“At 23, the Nigerian international is far from a finished product, but what a player he already is. He was the boss, took the ball from his defenders and gave small passes to the attackers in front of him.”

Club Brugge’s Champions League campaign has been a mixed bag so far, with two wins and one draw from their opening five games.

With three fixtures remaining—against Sporting Lisbon, Juventus, and Manchester City—Onyedika and his teammates face a steep challenge to secure the points needed to progress to the knockout stages.

For Onyedika, however, performances like this cement his growing reputation as one of the finest midfield talents in Europe.