Nigerians abroad: Awoniyi’s NFFC slip into trouble; Tijani, Utaka, Sasere, Ebere on target in club wins

It was a busy day of football across different leagues and countries, with several Nigerian players featuring for their respective clubs.

In the Czech Republic, Muhamed Tijani was the hero for Banik Ostrava as his brace helped his team secure a crucial 2-1 home win over Viktoria Plzen. The victory dealt a significant blow to Plzen’s title hopes and boosted Ostrava’s chances of survival in the league.

In England, Taiwo Awoniyi had a missed opportunity in the first half, while Emmanuel Dennis came on as a second-half substitute for Nottingham Forest as they suffered a 2-0 defeat at home to Manchester United. The win for the Red Devils lifted them to third place on the Premier League table.

Defeat, however, sees Awoniyi and Nottingham slip into the relegation zone with seven matches left for the 2022/2023 season. 

In France, Moses Simon provided an assist for Nantes in their narrow 2-1 away defeat to Auxerre. Meanwhile, Terem Moffi failed to replicate his Europa League heroics as he came on at halftime for OGC Nice but couldn’t help his team avoid a narrow 1-0 loss at Brest.

In Germany, Anthony Ujah provided an assist for the winning goal, while Aremu Afeez featured in Eintracht Braunschweig’s 2-1 away win over St. Pauli.

In Italy, Isaac Success and Kingsley Ehizibue featured for Udinese, but they suffered a 2-0 away defeat against Roma. William Troost-Ekong came off the bench to help Salernitana secure a valuable 1-1 draw at Torino.

In Japan, Peter Utaka was the hero for Ventforet Kofu as he scored the only goal in their victory over Tochigi in the J2 League.

In Liechtenstein, Franklin Sasere was among the goals for Vaduz as they thrashed Bellinzona 6-1 in their Challenge League clash.

In the Netherlands, Hamdi Akujobi continued his impressive form by scoring for the second game in a row as Almere City came from behind hand ADO Den Haag a 2-3 defeat. 

In Portugal, Savour Godwin featured for Casa Pia AC as they were held to a draw in their away league game. Super Falcons midfielder, Christy Ucheibe played a crucial role as SL Benfica Feminino cruised to a thumping 6-0 away victory over SC Braga.

In Uruguay, Christian Ebere ensured the points for Plaza Colonia in their 2-0 win over Cerro Largo in a Primera División gameweek 11 fixture.

Overall, it was an exciting day for Nigerian footballers playing across different leagues worldwide. Their performances will no doubt have pleased fans and followers of Nigerian football.