Uzoho’s saves rescue Omonia in Vienna; Iheanacho unlucky on Celtic return but misses AFCON 2025

Francis Uzoho produced a commanding Man of the Match display to help Omonia Nicosia secure a crucial 1-0 away victory over Rapid Wien in their UEFA Europa Conference League Matchday 5 clash on Thursday night, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Nigerian goalkeeper delivered one of his finest European performances, making six decisive saves to preserve a hard-earned clean sheet at the Allianz Stadion.

Henning Berg continued his goalkeeping rotation policy, handing Uzoho his fourth straight start in the competition ahead of Fabiano Freitas.

Once again, the trust was rewarded. Uzoho looked sharp, focused and authoritative from the first whistle, marshalling his back line with assurance and responding decisively whenever Rapid Wien applied pressure.

Omonia made the breakthrough in the 19th minute when Angelos Neofytou reacted quickest inside the box, steering home what would ultimately become the decisive goal.

While the visitors showed good discipline out of possession, the match was largely defined by Rapid Wien’s wave of attacks and Omonia’s resilience in keeping them out.

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

The Austrian side, now the only team yet to pick up a point in the competition, registered 17 shots, with seven hitting the target. Uzoho denied all six efforts that required intervention, while the remaining attempts were either off-target or repelled by Omonia’s defence, who completed 31 clearances and 22 interceptions.

Rapid Wien also enjoyed 31 touches inside Omonia’s box, compared to just eight for the visitors, but their lack of composure in front of goal compounded their elimination from the competition after a fifth straight defeat.

Uzoho received a yellow card in the 58th minute for time-wasting but maintained his composure throughout, securing his second consecutive Conference League clean sheet.

The result, Omonia’s second win of the campaign, lifts them to 15th in the overall standings and secures a place in the Round of 16 playoff phase.

It was also an eventful night for Uzoho off the pitch. The 26-year-old was named in Nigeria’s final squad for the Africa Cup of Nations later this month, despite not receiving an invitation since Eric Chelle assumed the Super Eagles job in January. He was selected ahead of Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye to serve as backup to first-choice Stanley Nwabali.

Iheanacho unlucky on Celtic return

Meanwhile in Rome, Kelechi Iheanacho made his long-awaited return from a hamstring injury as Celtic fell 3-0 to AS Roma in their Europa League encounter.

Introduced at half-time, the Nigerian forward had a goal ruled out for offside after a VAR review. Despite his return, Iheanacho has been left out of Chelle’s final 28-man squad for AFCON, ending a nine-year run of tournament appearances.

Since joining Celtic in September, Iheanacho has registered three goals and one assist but missed seven weeks of action. His return, however, provides Celtic with a much-needed boost in attack ahead of a demanding winter schedule.