Europe Watch: Onuachu, Osimhen shine as Bassey drops to bench again

2026-02-09 - 12:18

By Enitan Abdultawab Nigerian footballers delivered a weekend of goals, grit and contrasting fortunes across Europe, with Paul Onuachu and Victor Osimhen headlining in Turkey, while Ademola Lookman endured his first league defeat with Atlético Madrid and several Super Eagles battled mixed outcomes across the continent. Paul Onuachu was the standout Nigerian performer of the weekend, scoring twice as Trabzonspor cruised to a 3-0 victory over Samsunspor. The towering striker struck in the 23rd minute with a commanding header before sealing the win late on, taking his league tally to 15 goals and keeping his place at the summit of the Super Lig scoring charts. Onuachu’s influence went beyond goals, as he also topped the charts for chances created in the match, completed the majority of his passes and underlined his growing reputation as one of Europe’s most efficient target men this season. Victor Osimhen was also on target as Galatasaray eased past Rizespor 3-0 away from home. The striker rounded the goalkeeper to score his ninth league goal of the season and his 52nd overall for the Istanbul giants, a strike that moved him to fourth on Galatasaray’s all-time list of foreign scorers, ahead of Bafetimbi Gomis. The win extended Galatasaray’s lead at the top of the table to six points, while Osimhen continues to chase compatriot Onuachu in the Golden Boot race despite missing games earlier in the campaign due to injury. Elsewhere in Turkey, Ibrahim Olawoyin featured for Rizespor in the same encounter but endured a difficult outing, picking up a yellow card before being withdrawn in the second half. Wilfred Ndidi, now vice-captain at Besiktas, completed another full match in their 2-2 draw with Alanyaspor, continuing his steady run of appearances amid speculation earlier in the season. In Spain, Ademola Lookman’s fine start to life at Atlético Madrid suffered a setback as Diego Simeone’s side lost 1-0 at home to Real Betis. The Nigerian winger, who scored and assisted on his Copa del Rey debut midweek, had a first-half goal ruled out for offside and was later booked before being substituted in the second half. The defeat leaves Atlético third on the LaLiga table, with pressure mounting from the chasing pack. At Sevilla, Akor Adams and Chidera Ejuke were both involved in a dramatic 1-1 draw against Girona. Adams continued his recent run of starts before being substituted in the 74th minute, while Ejuke impressed off the bench after coming on at halftime. A late strike from Kike Salas rescued a point for Sevilla after an early Girona opener. Umar Sadiq remains in search of a starting role at Valencia, coming off the bench once again in their league outing, while young defender Kareem Tunde completed 90 minutes for Levante despite their 4-2 defeat at Athletic Bilbao, gaining valuable top-flight experience. In England, Calvin Bassey was left out of Fulham’s starting line-up as they suffered a 2-1 home defeat, while Alex Iwobi featured but could not change the outcome. Also, Tolu Arokodare was on the scoresheet for Wolverhampton Wanderers as they lost at home to Chelsea by three goals to one. Ola Aina endured a tough afternoon as Nottingham Forest were heavily beaten, while Bright Osayi-Samuel came on as a substitute to help Birmingham City secure a narrow win. Super Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie was busy despite Brighton Women’s 3-2 loss at West Ham, making four saves in another testing outing. In France, Moses Simon continued his search for form, drawing another blank as Paris FC were held to a goalless draw at Auxerre, while in Italy, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru came on early for Lazio in their clash with Juventus after initially starting on the bench. Raphael Onyedika delivered a composed midfield display for Club Brugge, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3-0 win over Standard Liège as they maintained their push for the Belgian title and continued preparations for their Champions League playoff clash. In Cyprus, goalkeeper Francis Uzoho was dropped to the bench in Omonia’s league win after featuring extensively in cup action earlier in the week.