Awoniyi On Fire Again, Osimhen Reaches 50 — Nigerian Stars Light Up Europe

According to Ireporter Online, Nigerian footballers produced an eye-catching weekend across Europe and other major leagues, delivering crucial goals, historic milestones and impressive performances that underlined their growing influence abroad.

From England’s Premier League to Turkey, France, Italy, Belgium, Spain and Saudi Arabia, members of the Super Eagles and Super Falcons made decisive contributions for their clubs, with landmark moments and timely returns from injury and international duty dominating the narrative.

One of the standout performances came in England, where Nottingham Forest secured a vital 2–0 away victory over Brentford. Taiwo Awoniyi and Ola Aina both played key roles, registering their first direct goal involvements of the season. Aina provided the assist for Forest’s opening goal with a measured cross that was converted by Igor Jesus, while Awoniyi came off the bench to seal the win with a composed finish late in the game.

Awoniyi’s goal was particularly significant, marking his first for Forest since February 2025 and ending a long spell without scoring. For Aina, the display was a strong statement of his return to full fitness after missing Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign due to injury. Elsewhere in the Premier League, Chrisantus Uche featured briefly for Crystal Palace in their 3–1 home defeat to Chelsea.

In France, Nigerian players experienced mixed fortunes. Chidozie Awaziem returned to action for Nantes after the Africa Cup of Nations but was on the losing side as his team fell 4–1 at home to Nice. Despite the defeat, Awaziem provided the assist for Nantes’ lone goal, taking his season tally to one goal and one assist. Moses Simon was an unused substitute as Paris FC were held to a goalless draw by Angers.

There was, however, a bright moment in Ligue 2, where young midfielder Hafiz Ibrahim scored the winning goal in Stade de Reims’ 1–0 victory over Saint-Étienne. The result lifted Reims into third place, with the 20-year-old continuing his impressive season.

In Italy, Ademola Lookman returned to Serie A action, making a late appearance as Atalanta recorded a convincing 4–0 win over Parma. In the women’s league, Super Falcons duo Rinsola Babajide and Shukurat Oladipo came off the bench as AS Roma extended their perfect run with a narrow away victory over Genoa.

Belgium also saw Nigerian involvement, with Yira Sor scoring his second league goal of the season in Genk’s 1–1 draw against Cercle Brugge, delivering an energetic performance marked by multiple goal attempts.

In Croatia, Istra 1961 claimed a notable away win over Hajduk Split, with Nigerian midfielders Salim Lawal and Israel Ayuma involved. Lawal’s strong club form this season has already earned him a senior national team debut.

The most emphatic scoreline of the weekend came in Turkey’s women’s league, where Regina Otu found the net during Fenerbahçe’s remarkable 18–0 win over ALG Spor Women, one of the biggest victories of the campaign.

However, the headline moment came in Turkey’s men’s league, where Victor Osimhen marked his return from international duty by scoring in Galatasaray’s 3–1 away win over Karagümrük. The strike not only helped secure all three points but also took Osimhen’s tally to 50 goals for the club since his arrival, cementing his place among Galatasaray’s most prolific forwards in recent history.

In Spain, Akor Adams continued his fine form for Sevilla, converting a second-half penalty to secure a 2–1 home victory over Athletic Bilbao. Chidera Ejuke also featured off the bench. Back in England, Fulham produced a late comeback against Brighton, with Samuel Chukwueze scoring the equaliser before a stoppage-time winner sealed the result. Alex Iwobi played a prominent role in midfield, while Calvin Bassey remained an unused substitute.