Okereke’s Gaziantep inflict first Besiktas defeat on Solskjaer, Udinese’s Okoye returns; Mukairu, Mandela on target

David Okereke, Paul Mukairu, and Itodo Mandela were among the Nigerian stars who shone as their clubs secured crucial league wins across Europe on Monday, Soccernet.ng reports.

Okereke leads Gaziantep to shock win over Solskjær's Besiktas

In the Turkish Süper Lig, former Nigeria youth international David Okereke played the full 90 minutes as Gaziantep FK pulled off a dramatic 2-1 comeback win against Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s Besiktas.

Okereke, currently on loan from Cremonese, was a constant menace to the Besiktas defence, though it was Arda Kızıldağ and Furkan Soyalp who found the net to secure a hard-fought victory for Gaziantep—despite playing the final stretch with ten men.

The defeat was Solskjær’s first league loss as Besiktas boss since taking over in mid-January.

The former Manchester United manager had previously guided the Black Eagles to four league wins and a draw, though they suffered a UEFA Europa League defeat to Twente.

Gaziantep have now climbed to 8th place in the league standings and will be aiming for a third consecutive victory—a first this season—when they host Kayserispor this weekend.

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Mukairu fires Boluspor into promotion race

In the Turkish second division, Paul Mukairu emerged as the match-winner for Boluspor, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory over İstanbulspor.

The 25-year-old forward, on loan from Copenhagen, rifled home a right-footed finish from the centre of the box after an assist from Jefferson, securing three valuable points that lifted Boluspor into the Promotion Play-off spots. Mukairu now has four league goals in 25 appearances this season.

Okoye returns for Udinese after injury layoff

In Serie A, Udinese and Lazio played out a 1-1 draw, with two Nigerian stars making the matchday squads after extended injury absences.

While Fisayo Dele-Bashiru was an unused substitute for Lazio, Maduka Okoye made his long-awaited return to Udinese’s starting lineup.

The Super Eagles goalkeeper, whose inclusion in Nigeria’s provisional squad for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers raised eyebrows, had been sidelined since early December with a wrist injury.

Okoye’s last competitive outing before this was on December 1, 2024, in a Serie A clash against Genoa. Now fully recovered, his return puts him in contention for a spot in Nigeria’s final squad for the upcoming qualifiers.

Despite his comeback, Okoye couldn’t prevent Alessio Romagnoli from cancelling out Florian Thauvin’s opener in the 32nd minute, as Lazio and Udinese shared the spoils.

Eleke and Mandela shine in Albania

In the Albanian Superliga, Blessing Eleke marked his first start for Partizani Tirana with a dramatic stoppage-time winner in a 2-1 away victory over Skënderbeu Korçë.

The Nigerian forward, who joined Partizani on a free transfer from Tajikistani club Istiklol, had made his debut off the bench in a 2-0 defeat to AF Elbasani.

Handed a starting role this time, Eleke delivered in the first minute of stoppage time, securing all three points for his new club.

Elsewhere in Albania, Itodo Mandela continued his superb form by scoring in Dinamo City's 3-1 home win over Bylis.

Mandela struck in the 7th minute, netting his 12th goal in 20 league appearances this season. The 21-year-old is on a hot streak, having now scored eight goals in his last eight games across all competitions.