It was an action-packed week for Nigerian footballers across Europe. From the high-stakes league battles in Latvia and Sweden to goal-heavy cup ties in Ukraine and Norway, several Nigerian attackers and defenders made key contributions for their respective clubs.
The standout performer of the round was 20-year-old forward Sadiq Saleh, who delivered an exciting performance off-the-bench performance for FK Metta.
Saleh Powers Metta with Quick-Fire Brace
Facing Rēzeknes FA in a tightly contested Latvian 1. Liga clash, Metta needed a spark after playing through a scoreless opening hour.
Saleh’s introduction completely flipped the script. Capitalising on a red card handed to Rēzeknes’ Endijs Romanovs, Saleh broke the deadlock just four minutes later.
He struck again six minutes after his first, sealing a hard-fought 2-0 away victory. Saleh’s magnificent campaign now boasts 17 goals and 3 assists (20 goal contributions overall).
Fellow Nigerian Suleiman Abdulraheem also featured, starting the match before being withdrawn in the 80th minute.
Aguda Continues Strong Form Despite Falkenbergs Defeat
In the Swedish Superettan, former Rivers United playmaker Godwin Aguda proved his consistency once again for second-place Falkenbergs FF.
Facing IFK Norrköping at the PlatinumCars Arena, Falkenbergs found themselves trailing by two goals following a first-half double from Christoffer Nyman.
The 28-year-old midfielder spearheaded the fightback in the 67th minute, showing sharp attacking movement to slice the deficit to 2-1.
Although the hosts managed to hold on for the win, Aguda’s third league goal of the season shows his central role in Falkenbergs’ ongoing promotion push.
Peter Scores in Metalist 1925’s Ukrainian Cup Demolition
Over in Ukraine, Itodo Peter added to his seasonal tally with a sharp display in the Round of 64 of the Ukrainian Cup.
The 22-year-old forward netted Metalist 1925 Kharkiv’s third goal during a ruthless 9-0 victory over Kalynivka at the Tsentralnyi Stadion.
Peter, who featured for 64 minutes before being substituted, has now recorded his second goal of the campaign across all competitions as Metalist 1925 comfortably marched into the next round.
Norwegian Cup Joy for Joseph and Meliga
Nigerian talent also left a strong mark in the Norwegian NM Cup, with two young players grabbing crucial goals after battling for starting spots.
Tochukwu Joseph (Strømmen): Making just his fourth start of the season, the 21-year-old defender capitalized on his opportunity by scoring Strømmen’s second goal to give them a half-time lead against Lillehammer FK.
After finishing 2-2 in regulation time, Strømmen dominated extra time to lock in a 4-2 win.
Promise Meliga (Vålerenga): Fresh off a loan spell at Kristiansund BK, the 19-year-old winger made the most of a 31-minute substitute appearance.
Entering with Vålerenga already up by five goals against Christiania Ballklubb, Meliga netted his side’s sixth goal to wrap up an overwhelming 7-2 victory at the Intility Arena.
