Southampton boss lauds Super Eagles goalscoring duo after Ipswich victory

Southampton’s head coach, Ivan Juric, praised Nigerian duo, Joe Ayodele-Aribo and Paul Onuachu after their goals helped the Saints’ secure three points against Ipswich Town yesterday evening, Soccernet.ng reports.

Prior to the game at Portman Road, Southampton had secured just one win from 23 league outings this term, and their poor form has seen rank 20th on the league table.

An opener from Aribo and a late-minute winner from Onuachu sealed the first win for Ivan Juric since he took over as Southampton’s head coach, and he lauded the Nigerians.

Paul Onuachu of Southampton celebrates after scoring his side’s second goal during the Premier League match between Ipswich Town and Southampton at Portman Road, Ipswich UK. [Photo Credit/ Imago].

Get Our Sports News First – Join Our WhatsApp Channel Now!

“It’s a great feeling. I think we did some even better games than this game, like Manchester United, and didn’t take points. Today we suffered in a few moments, but the guys were great and we deserved it.

“It’s character because we defended well. We had problems with [Harwood-] Bellis, with Jack [Stephens], we had to make some changes, but I said we have quality, and the second goal is the quality of Deeno (Kamaldeen) and the quality of Paul [Onuachu].victory

“It was a great moment. He [Onuachu] deserved it because he worked hard, it’s his second goal, I think he can score more, but he worked hard for the team,” the Croatian manager said in quotes revealed by Southampton’s official website.

Ipswich Town v Southampton Premier League Joe Aribo of Southampton scores his side’s first goal during the Premier League match between Ipswich Town and Southampton at Portman Road, Ipswich UK. [Photo Credit/ Imago].
After heaping praise on Onuachu, the former Roma head coach also praise Joe Aribo, who broke the deadlock against Ipswich Town.

“Joe [Aribo] for me is a great guy; everything for the team. He doesn’t care if he is a forward, at the back or in the middle. Today he played left centre-back and I think he did a great second half. We worked hard, really well, and Joe today was great,” the 49-year-old concluded.

Joe Aribo of Southampton not in the picture celebrates with his team-mates after scoring his side’s first goal during the Premier League match between Ipswich Town and Southampton at Portman Road, Ipswich UK. [Photo Credit/ Imago].
Despite their win, Southampton have just nine points from 24 English Premier League games, and stand the risk of relegating to the EFL Championships, except a miracle unfolds.

 

This post was last modified on February 2, 2025 12:29 pm

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

Southampton’s Aribo ready to fight for top-flight status following goal against Ipswich Town

Super Eagles and Southampton midfielder, Joe Ayodele-Aribo has revealed his side plan to give everything… Read More

25 minutes ago

Report: Carrick’s Middlesbrough nears signing of Super Eagles star

EFL Championship side Middlesbrough are reportedly closing in on the signature of Super Eagles attacker… Read More

8 hours ago

John Terry vs Roberto Carlos: What ex-Chelsea captain said to Mikel Obi after star-studded performance

Former Chelsea captain John Terry has hailed John Mikel Obi’s performance after their star-studded charity… Read More

11 hours ago

Kazeem Olaigbe: Rennes close to signing ex-Southampton lad caught between Nigeria & Belgium

French club Rennes are closing in on the signing of Cercle Brugge winger Kazeem Olaigbe,… Read More

16 hours ago

Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund begin negotiations for exciting Nigerian midfielder

Borussia Dortmund have taken a significant step in their pursuit of Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka,… Read More

17 hours ago

Relegation dogfight: Aribo and Onuachu score to help Southampton steal big win at Ipswich

Super Eagles stars Joe Aribo and Paul Onuachu were the difference makers for Southampton as… Read More

18 hours ago