Nigeria Super Eagles stars: Bassey, Lookman, Aina. Photo by IMAGO
Super Eagles fullback Ola Aina has emerged as the most prolific dribbler across this weekend’s FA Cup fixtures following Nottingham Forest’s dramatic quarter-final victory over Brighton & Hove Albion, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Nigerian international completed five successful dribbles — more than any other player in the quarter-finals as per WhoScored — during Forest’s 4-3 penalty shootout triumph at the Amex Stadium on Saturday.
His impressive display saw him outperform some of the Premier League’s most renowned dribblers, including Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva, Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze, and Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey.
According to WhoScored, Aina attempted seven dribbles, successfully completing five. In contrast, Manchester City’s De Bruyne and Silva managed just one each during their 2-1 comeback win against Bournemouth.
Crystal Palace’s dynamic attacking duo, Eze and Ismaila Sarr, surprisingly failed to complete a single dribble in their team’s 3-0 win over Fulham. Meanwhile, Fulham’s Nigerian playmaker Alex Iwobi was successful with one dribble in the defeat.
Over at Deepdale, Jacob Ramsey completed two dribbles in Aston Villa’s 3-0 win against Preston North End, but his teammate Marcus Rashford, despite scoring twice, did not record any.
Beyond his attacking contributions, Aina was rock-solid defensively.
The 27-year-old registered five clearances, won eight of his 14 ground duels, and made two crucial tackles to help his side keep Brighton at bay for 120 minutes before prevailing on penalties.
Aina’s exceptional performance earned him a place in WhoScored’s FA Cup Team of the Round.
The WhoScored best XI of the quarterfinals was dominated by Aston Villa, who had four players included, while Crystal Palace contributed three.
Aina was selected in a four-man defence alongside Nikola Milenkovic (Nottingham Forest), Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace), and Brighton’s Pervis Estupiñán.
Villa’s Morgan Rogers and Ramsey were named in midfield, joined by Palace’s Eze. Rashford, who received the highest individual rating of 8.99, led the attack alongside Rogers and Ramsey. Bournemouth goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga was selected as the goalkeeper.
Nottingham Forest with the win over Brighton reached their first FA Cup semi-final in 34 years. With a place in the final at stake, Aina and his teammates now prepare for a high-stakes showdown against Manchester City at Wembley.
Forest will take encouragement from their recent 1-0 Premier League win over City, but Guardiola’s men remain formidable, having beaten Forest 3-0 earlier in the season.
Elsewhere, Crystal Palace will face Aston Villa for a place in the final, with Palace aiming for their first FA Cup final appearance since 2016, while Villa hope to return to the showpiece event for the first time in a decade.
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