Several Nigerian stars delivered inspiring performances for their respective clubs over the weekend across major European Leagues, as they gear up for the 2025 AFCON tournament.
The Super Eagles opened their training camp for the tournament last Sunday, with the rest of the squad expected to link up with the early arrivals ahead of their friendly clash against Egypt on Tuesday.
Action unfolded across Europe this past weekend, as several Nigerian players made telling contributions for their clubs across the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, Turkish Super League, Italian Serie A and the likes.
In this piece, SportPremi highlights the standout performances of Nigerian stars from their clubs over the past weekend.
Arokodare and Bassey on Target, Chukwueze shines in the EPL
Tolu Arokodare netted his first-ever goal in the English Premier League when he found the back of the net with a brilliant header in Wolves’ 2-1 defeat to Arsenal on Saturday.
The 24-year-old was left out of Eric Chelle’s final 28-man squad, but gave the Nigerian head coach something to ponder upon with a brilliant cameo against the league leaders.
It was his third goal since arriving at the club in the summer, although his two previous strikes were in the Carabao Cup.
Elsewhere, Fulham recorded a 3-2 win over Burnley, with the Nigerian trio of Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey and Samuel Chukwueze delivering stunning performances.
While Iwobi was without a goal or an assist in the clash, Bassey was on hand to score his first league goal of the season, scoring his side’s second of the game.
Chukwueze, meanwhile, provided the assist for the Cottagers’ third, scored by Harry Wilson as he continued his brilliant start to life at the club.
At Selhurst Park, Christantus Uche came on as a second half substitute, but could not prevent Crystal Palace from falling to a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City.
Adams and Ejuke scores in Sevilla rout in La Liga
Akor Adams celebrated his inclusion in Nigeria’s 28-man squad for AFCON 2025 with a player of the match performance in Sevilla’s 4-0 win over Real Oviedo.
The 25-year-old opened scoring in the fourth minute with a brilliant finish and played a part in the second goal as his low cross was deflected to the path of Djibril Sow.
Adams also provided the assist for Sevilla’s third of the game, while Chidera Ejuke who had come on in the second half, scored a spectacular fourth to complete the win.
Orban delivers heroics in Serie A
In the Italian Serie A, Gift Orban was the star of the show at the Artemio Franchi Stadium as Hellas Verona sealed their second league win of the season with a 2-1 result against Fiorentina.
The 23-year-old struck both of his side’s goal to take his season’s tally to four goals, making him the Nigerian player with the most goals in the league so far this season.
Osimhen strikes again for Galatasaray
It is becoming increasingly uncommon to see Galatasaray play without Victor Osimhen getting his name on the scoresheet.
The Super Eagles talisman was on fire once again this past weekend, scoring once in the 4-1 thrashing of Antalyaspor in the Turkish Super League.
The 26-year-old’s absence will be a major blow for the Lions, who are seeking to defend their crown once more.
Dessers lead Panathinaikos to victory in Greek Super League
Nigerian forward Cyriel Dessers grabbed his first goal since September, with the opener in Panathinaikos 2-1 win over Volos.
The 31-year-old also played a role in his side’s second, as they moved up to fifth on the standings, although they have a game in hand.
