Former Super Eagles and Roda JC midfielder Garba Lawal has aired his opinion about the performance of Nigerian players across the three tiers of European Cup competitions this season, Soccernetng reports.
Christantus Uche is into the semi-final of the UEFA Conference League, while Taiwo Awoniyi and Ola Aina of Nottingham Forest knocked FC Porto's Terem Moffi and Zaidu Sanusi out of the UEFA Europa League.
In the Champions League, Ademola Lookman scored to seal an aggregate 3-2 win over Barcelona, sending them to the final four where they'll play against Mikel Arteta's Arsenal.
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Garba Lawal applauds performance of Super Eagles stars in Europe
The game that caught the attention of the Olympic Gold medallist was the Europa League clash between Nottingham Forest and FC Porto, which featured Ola Aina, Terem Moffi and Zaidu Sanusi, who was subbed off after the first 45 minutes.
“It was a very good game and, of course, that adds more value for our players to play at the highest level,” the ex-Santa Clara man told Footy Africa.
“It increases their transfer value and experience. I’m happy to see them playing well at their various club sides, which is fantastic for their profile and for our national team too.”
Zaidu Sanusi struggled after Jan Bednarek was sent off, but Garba defended the AFCON 2025 bronze medallist, claiming he didn't look completely fit at the City Ground.
“I watched the first leg the other day; he was fantastic when he played the first game. I think yesterday he was wonderful too,” Lawal noted.
”However, when you see Zaidu not performing at his best, I believe he has some minor injury. That is my assessment of him.
“Whenever I don’t see him giving 100%, I suspect the boy has a small injury. When he is 100% fit, he is something else. He’s fantastic.”
Nottingham Forest will play against Aston Villa in the semi-final of the UEFA Europa League, but the two-time Dutch Cup winner has tipped Vitor Pereira's side to go through.
“They know each other. They play in the same league, they know the same players, the same environment, and the same fans,” Lawal said.
”It’s going to be very, very tough because of that familiarity. They know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, so expect a very difficult contest, but I’m backing Forest to win,” the 51-year-old concluded.
Nottingham Forest are currently 16th on the English Premier League table, three points above the relegation zone.
