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From Osimhen to Oshoala, Nigerian stars were on fire for their teams over the weekend
Serie A side Napoli may have lost Super Eagles superstar Victor Osimhen to Galatasaray in the summer, but fans of the Sky Blue were able to celebrate a new Nigerian star this weekend.
This lesser-known Nigerian star in Naples was former Rivers Angels and Flamengos forward Olamide Adugbe, who marked her debut for Napoli’s Feminile team with an assist for Michela Giordano against Roma.
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Unfortunately, Adugbe’s assist only served as a consolation for Tartarughine, who fell to a 3-1 defeat by their Roman hosts in the Serie A Femminile.
Super Eagles stars suffer mixed bag
Adugbe was not the only Nigerian star to have a mishmash of emotions over the weekend after having impressive individual performances soiled by collective disappointment.
Super Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi registered his fourth assist in six Premier League games, providing a brilliant cross-field pass for James Justin’s second goal against Arsenal.
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Unfortunately, Ndidi’s assist preceded an own goal from the Nigerian star that helped the Gunners seal a 4-2 win over Leicester City at the death.
In a similar vein, AFCON 2013 winner Victor Moses scored his first goal since joining Championship side Luton Town, but the former Chelsea and Liverpool star was unable to stop The Hatters from succumbing to a 3-1 loss against Plymouth.
West Brom’s Josh Maja scored his seventh goal in seven matches in the league this season, but the Baggies, who also featured Nigerian defender Semi Ajayi, lost 3-2 away to Sheffield Wednesday.
Super Eagles captain William Troost Ekong was also on the scoresheet for the first time for his new club, Al Kholood, but his powerful strike from the penalty spot was only a consolation as his side fell to a 4-2 defeat to Saudi Pro League reigning champions Al Hilal.
Osimhen opens Galatasaray account
Unlike Adugbe, Osimhen no longer stars for Napoli, but the Super Eagles star is still getting among the goals after he opened his Galatasaray account with a brilliant brace in a 3-3 draw against Kasimpasa.
Osimhen opened the scoring for Galatasaray with a close-range finish before adding a sensational volley for his second of the day to put the Lions 2-0 up.
Nigerian defender Kenneth Omeruo’s introduction inspired a spirited comeback from Kasimpasa, who rallied from 3-0 down to secure a 3-3 draw against the reigning champions after Osimhen was pulled off at halftime with a suspected injury.
Fringe players audition for Super Eagles
While established Super Eagles stars like Osimhen were making their mark this weekend, other players who are currently outside the national team frame also made cases for their inclusion in upcoming squads.
With Nigeria set for a doubleheader of Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Libya, players are eager to get called up to the Super Eagles and showed exactly what they could bring to the team with top performances.
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Sevilla star Chidera Ejuke provided the vital cross, after beating two players on the wing, which led to his team’s equaliser in a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Athletic Club, and will be one of the stars hoping to earn a call up to the Super Eagles team soon.
Sparta Prague striker Victor Olatunji also scored his second goal in two games, following up his record-breaking Champions League appearance with another strike for the Czech side who unfortunately lost 3-2 to Sigma Olomouc.
Former Chelsea starlet Oladapo Afolayan opened his account for the season with St. Pauli as they scored a shock 3-0 victory away to Freiburg, in their first league win of the season.
Super Falcons reign supreme
Nigeria’s men’s stars were not the only ones to make their mark abroad this weekend, as Super Falcons’ stalwarts also got in on the act.
Four-time CAF Women’s Player of the Year, Asisat Oshoala scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot as Bay FC claimed a slim 1-0 victory over Seattle Reign FC in the NWSL to mark her sixth goal of the season for the American side.
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Current Super Falcons’ captain Rasheedat Ajibade was once again the star of the show as she helped Atletico Madrid to a 4-0 rout of CFF Madrid in the Madrid derby.
Ajibade scored one sensational goal after sending a defender flying, and then provoked two more own goals and was the best player on the pitch as Atletico Madrid kept pace with league-leaders Barcelona.
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