It was a sensational Sunday for Nigerian footballers across Europe as Super Eagles stars Chibuike Nwaiwu, Paul Onuachu, and Cyriel Dessers took center stage, delivering decisive performances to drive their respective clubs to hard-fought league victories in Turkey and Greece.
Turkish Super Lig: Nwaiwu and Onuachu Chemistry Ignites Trabzonspor Away Win
In the Turkish Super Lig, the Nigerian connection of Chibuike Nwaiwu and Paul Onuachu rekindled their attacking magic, providing an assist each to lead Trabzonspor to a convincing 2-0 away victory over Alanyaspor at the Alanya Oba Stadium.
The Black Sea Storm set the pace early in the Matchday 11 clash, taking the lead in the 17th minute when defender Wagner Pina turned home a finely delivered pass from Nwaiwu. After surviving a brief VAR review, the goal stood to put the visitors in front.
Just before the halftime break, Onuachu made his mark by setting up teammate Mohamed Salah to double the advantage, putting Trabzonspor firmly in control.
The visitors dominated the encounter with 62% possession and restricted Alanyaspor to just a single shot on target from nine attempts.
The 2-0 victory catapulted Trabzonspor into second place on the league table, trailing leaders Galatasaray by just three points.
Attacking Synergy: The duo’s joint performance adds to a history of joint contributions, following memorable outings against Galatasaray on April 4 (where both scored) and Fatih Karagümrük on February 27 (where Onuachu recorded 1 goal, 1 assist, and Nwaiwu scored a brace).
Season Stats: Nwaiwu now has 1 goal and 1 assist in 13 appearances this season, while Onuachu has registered 4 goal contributions (3 goals, 1 assist) in 17 appearances.
Match Aftermath: Onuachu subbed off in the 89th minute for Ali Habesoglu, while Nwaiwu picked up a 94th-minute yellow card, ruling him out of Trabzonspor’s next league match due to suspension.
International Duty: Nwaiwu will link up with the Super Eagles squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double-header against Tanzania. Onuachu was left out of the national team selection.
Greek Super League: Cyriel Dessers Reaches 10 Goals in Panathinaikos Comeback
Over in the Greek Super League Round 10 fixture, 31-year-old striker Cyriel Dessers was the catalyst for league leaders Panathinaikos, inspiring the Greens to a dramatic 2-1 comeback win over Iraklis at Kaftanzoglio Ethniko Stadio.
After Iraklis opened the scoring through Pedro Marques in the 17th minute, Panathinaikos trailed into the break.
However, 11 minutes into the second half, Dessers combined brilliantly with Giorgos Kyriakopoulos to slot home the equalizer, ending a brief goal drought dating back to October 25.
Dessers played 84 minutes before being replaced by Elmin Rastoder. The dramatic turn of events concluded in the 94th minute when Italian defender Davide Calabria coolly converted a stoppage-time penalty to seal all three points.
The result extended Panathinaikos’ unbeaten run to eight matches across all competitions.
Double-Digit Milestone: Dessers’ equalizer marked his 10th goal across all competitions this season (4 goals in 8 Greek Super League matches, alongside 6 goals in 15 UEFA Europa Conference League appearances).
International Absence: Despite reaching double figures in goals, the former Rangers forward was not included in Nigeria’s squad for the upcoming AFCON qualifiers against Tanzania.
