La Liga: Akor Adams surpasses Rashidi Yekini as Sevilla climb away from trouble

Akor Adams broke new ground in Nigerian football history on Saturday night as his penalty helped Sevilla to a 2-1 comeback win over Athletic Club and secured the club’s first La Liga victory of 2026, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Super Eagles striker struck in the second half at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán to take his personal tally in Spain’s top flight to six goals, a figure that now places him 11th on the list of Nigeria’s all-time La Liga scorers.

It was Adams’ third goal in two matches since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, where he helped Nigeria claim the bronze medal, and another reminder of his growing importance to Matías Almeyda’s side.

More significantly, the goal carried historical weight. With six La Liga strikes, Adams has now moved ahead of legendary Super Eagles forward Rashidi Yekini, who scored three times in the competition, and has also overtaken the marks set by Bartholomew Ogbeche (three) and Christantus Uche (five).

While Adams still has a long way to go to threaten the towering figures of Christopher Ohenhen (48 goals), Finidi George (43) and Ikechukwu Uche (43), his steady progress is a pointer to how quickly he is carving out his own place in Nigerian football’s European story.

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Comeback win lifts Akor Adams' Sevilla up the table

The match itself was a tight, nervy affair between two sides separated by little in the table.

Athletic Club struck first in the 40th minute through Robert Navarro, but Sevilla hit back almost immediately when Gerard Fernández levelled the score just two minutes later to send both teams into the break on equal terms.

Ten minutes after the restart came the decisive moment. Yuri Berchiche was penalised for a handball in the box, and after a VAR check confirmed the offence, Adams stepped up and calmly rolled the penalty into the bottom-left corner to complete the turnaround.

Athletic Club pushed hard for an equaliser, but Sevilla held their shape and saw out the contest, condemning the visitors to their seventh away defeat in 11 league matches this season.

The victory lifts Sevilla above Athletic into 11th place. Both sides are now on 24 points after 21 games, but Sevilla’s superior goal difference gives them the edge and, crucially, leaves them five points clear of the relegation zone.

For Adams, it also marks his most productive La Liga campaign so far, matching the momentum he showed during the 2023-24 season at Montpellier, when he scored eight league goals.

Sevilla now travel to face Mallorca on Monday, February 2, while Athletic Club turn their attention to Europe, hosting Sporting CP in the Champions League.