Nigerian strikers in Europe: Orban strikes in five-goal thriller, Sadiq Umar shines once again

Two Nigerian strikers Sadiq Umar and Gift Orban were on target for their European clubs on Thursday, Soccernet.ng reports.

​The 23-year-old Orban has been impressive at Hellas Verona in recent weeks, and he produced yet another solid performance against Bologna at the Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi.

​Orban's side lost 3-2, but his performance was the biggest positive of the night.

​He opened the scoring with an impressive effort in the 13th minute, but the visitors struck back with full force afterward. Bologna scored three goals in a row before the break, courtesy of Riccardo Orsolini, Jens Odgaard, and Santiago Castro.

​In the second half, Orban started pushing to try and get something from the game. They eventually pulled one back in the 71st minute.

It came after Bologna defender Remo Freuler inadvertently put the ball in his own net following a cross from Orban.

​Unfortunately for the Nigerian, he could not score again as his side fell to their 15th loss of the season. Nonetheless, with his strike, Orban now has six goals in 17 appearances this season.

Verona vs Bologna: Watch Gift Orban's performance here

​Sadiq Umar Shines For Valencia

​Meanwhile, in Spain, Super Eagles striker Sadiq Umar scored for Valencia in their 2-0 win over Burgos in the Copa del Rey.

​He only joined the club last week in a permanent deal from Real Sociedad. This is his second stint at the club after spending the second half of last season there.

​Sadiq came off the bench for his first game against Elche last weekend, but against Burgos, he started. The Super Eagles striker scored the second for Los Che in the 50th minute to seal the win for his side. ​Sadiq brilliantly latched onto a pass from Largie Ramazani and placed a sublime finish past the Burgos goalkeeper.

He was then taken off for Hugo Duro in the 64th minute.

Burgos vs Valencia: Watch Sadiq Umar's Goal Here

#CopaDelReyMapfre

@Burgos_CF | 0-2 | @valenciacf

⚽️ 0-1 Rubén Iranzo (10’)
⚽️ 0-2 Umar Sadiq (50’)#LaCopaMola | Octavos de final pic.twitter.com/O3buUJ9j5n

— RFEF (@rfef) January 15, 2026

​Sadiq will be hoping that this goal opens the floodgates for him at Valencia, and that he can help the club climb out of the relegation zone.