Nigeria international goalkeeper Francis Uzoho returned to action for AC Omonia Nicosia on Sunday, helping his side to a 3-1 home victory over Omonia Aradippou in the Cypriot First Division, Soccernet.ng reports.
Uzoho, the club’s second-choice goalkeeper, was given a rare start ahead of Brazil’s Fabiano Ribeiro de Freitas, 36, a former Porto shot-stopper.
It was only the Nigerian goalkeeper's second league start of the 23-week-old season, his previous outing coming in January against Anorthosis — a game in which Omonia Nicosia suffered a 2-0 home defeat.
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Sunday’s match at the Neo GSP Stadium began in the worst possible way for the Nigerian, as Omonia Aradippou struck within two minutes.
Nikos Koutsakos capitalized on a defensive mistake and slammed a shot which took a heavy deflection before flying past Uzoho to give the visitors an unexpected lead.
However, Omonia Nicosia quickly responded, equalizing through Poland’s Mariusz Stępiński on the half-hour mark. Cameroonian forward Saidou Alioum then struck twice in the second half to seal a comfortable win for the hosts.
READ MORE: “Playing at Old Trafford was a thing of joy” – Super Eagles goalie Francis Uzoho
Despite conceding early, Uzoho had little to do for the rest of the game, making just one save as Omonia Nicosia dominated proceedings.
The Super Eagles goalkeeper will now hope for more regular game time to boost his chances of impressing new Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle ahead of crucial World Cup qualifiers in March against Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
“It's a dream come true for me!”
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 13, 2022
Omonia goalkeeper and Manchester United fan Francis Uzoho was delighted with the chance to play at Old Trafford…
️ @DannyJamieson pic.twitter.com/xWVfy2D2NL
Uzoho and Chelle's Super Eagles goalkeeping woes
Chelle is currently grappling with a goalkeeping dilemma.
Nigeria’s first-choice keeper Stanley Nwabali is struggling for form at Chippa United, following the loss of both his parents within weeks.
Meanwhile, Udinese’s Maduka Okoye faces a race against time to recover from wrist surgery and is also embroiled in a betting fraud case. Although he appears to be without blame, a guilty verdict could lead to a ban.
A strong run of performances at club level could see Uzoho reclaim Nigeria’s No. 1 spot—a role he impressed in during the 2018 World Cup.
