Osimhen, Iheanacho, Lookman Score as Nigerian Players Shine Across Europe
Victor Osimhen, Kelechi Iheanacho and Ademola Lookman were among Nigerian players on target across European leagues over the weekend, while Rafiu Durosinmi and Tolu Arokodare also continued their strong starts to the new season.
Osimhen scored and provided an assist as Galatasaray came from behind to beat Göztepe 3-2 in the Turkish Süper Lig, taking his tally to five goals in three league appearances.
The striker set up Gabriel Sara in the 55th minute before scoring himself to complete the turnaround. Osimhen attempted 15 shots in the match, including six on target, and has taken 31 shots in three league games.
Iheanacho also scored and set up a goal as Bursaspor recovered from a goal down to defeat Kayserispor 2-1.
The Nigerian converted a penalty shortly after halftime to cancel out Florent Hasani’s first-half opener before setting up Alperen Babacan for the winning goal. Iheanacho has four goals and two assists in his first four matches of the campaign.
Lookman opened his La Liga account for the season in Atletico Madrid’s 3-1 victory over Sevilla, scoring the visitors’ second goal in the 26th minute after being set up by Pablo Barrios. His compatriot Chidera Ejuke played the full match for Sevilla and created opportunities despite the home side’s defeat.
In Belgium, Durosinmi scored his fourth goal in four league appearances as Genk beat SK Beveren 4-0, while Arokodare scored Ajax’s third goal in a 4-0 win away to Telstar for his first Eredivisie goal of the season.
Samuel Chukwueze was named Man of the Match after helping AC Milan beat Venezia 2-0 in Serie A. The Nigeria winger, again deployed at right wing-back, completed 90 minutes and received a 7.8 rating.
Maduka Okoye made three saves as Udinese beat Monza 3-2 away, while Ebenezer Akinsanmiro came on in the second half for the hosts. Akor Adams was in action for Venezia in their defeat to Milan but missed a first-half chance.
In England, Taiwo Awoniyi started for Coventry City in their 1-0 home defeat to Hull City, while Ola Aina helped Nottingham Forest earn a 2-2 draw at Liverpool. Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey both featured for Fulham in their 1-0 defeat at Sunderland.
Terem Moffi made his Hamburg debut as a second-half substitute in a 2-0 Bundesliga defeat by Borussia Dortmund, while Frank Onyedika played the full match in Frankfurt’s 3-3 draw at Union Berlin.
Moses Simon’s wait for a Ligue 1 goal continued after another weekend without scoring for Paris FC. The Nigeria international has now gone 20 French top-flight matches without a goal, with his last Ligue 1 strike coming at the Stade Louis-II against Monaco at the start of November 2025.
