Racing Genk of Belgium attacker, Paul Ebere Onuachu continued firing on all cylinders in top-flight league action on Saturday, as he took his goals haul to 12 for the season and stays top of the charts in the Jupiler League, while Sheyi Ojo netted in the English Championship.
Megasportsarena.com reports that, on a day goals from Nigerian players were in short supply across Europe, Onuachu staged a strong claim to finishing this season as top scorer in Belgium, following his remarkable brace of goals in his team’s 5-1 thrashing of Ike Ugbo’s Cercle Brugge.
Genk shot top of the table after Onuachu opened scoring nine minutes into Saturday’s game and then he got his brace just before half time and the tall lad, who last season scored nine goals during his debut campaign in Belgium, helped his side to their sixth straight victory.
In Wales, Sheyi Ojo scored and weighed in with an assist to help Cardiff City trounce Luton Town 4-0, as The Bluebirds were already 3-0 up when the Nigerian-born winger on loan from Liverpool of England hit target in the 82nd minute, following earlier goals by Sean Morrison, Mark Harris and Kieffer Moore.
Ojo also earlier got the assist for Harris’s ninth-minute goal, when he sent a fine cross from the left flank for the Wales under-21 international to convert and the Nigerian-born winger, who now has three and two assists since joining Cardiff, added his team’s fourth late on, when he slammed home into the far corner after Marlon Pack’s corner was cleared into his path.
The victory takes Cardiff up to 14th on 17 points from 14 matches, with rave reviews trailing Ojo, who impressed on the left flank, as he and his teammates delivered a dazzling offensive display to ease pressure off their coach, Neil Harris, who had been in dire need of a good result following a three-game winless streak.
Also in England on Saturday, this time in the English Premier League, Semi Ajayi was in full duration action and helped West Bromwich Albion end their hunt for their first victory of the season as they dispatched Sheffield United 1-0.
The relegation dogfight between two early-season strugglers was settled with a 13th minute goal by Conor Gallagher, who netted his first goal in his last 34 league games for The Baggies, leaving The Blades as the only club in the top-flight without a win so far this season.
Ajayi again impressed in the hosts’ back three alongside Branislav Ivanovic and Kyle Bartley, although on several occasions Albion had to rely on their goalkeeper, Sam Johnstone to preserve their clean sheet.
The 27-year-old was with Arsenal between 2013 and 2015, but failed to convince The Gunners’ former coach, Arsene Wenger that he was good enough, has now made nine appearances this season, adapting quickly to life in the top flight.
Although he never previously featured at this level during his career, the versatile central defender-cum-right-back and holding midfielder, was playing in the third tier of English football as recently as 2018, and was employed down in the fifth tier of the pyramid seven years ago.
Ajayi got a very pleasant Saturday’s night’s sleep, as his team’s result took WBA to six points from 10 matches, while also taking them out of the relegation zone and one point ahead of Burnley, who were defeated 5-0 by Manchester City earlier in the day.
Same evening, back in the lower division, John Mikel Obi was in action from the start for Stoke City, but he was later taken off, as The Potters settled for a goalless draw away to Sheffield Wednesday.
The former Super Eagles’ captain, who has started in all of The Potters’ second-tier league games this season, made his 14th appearance at Hillsborough; but he played only 76 minutes before he was replaced by Jordan Cousins, making it the first time the 33-year-old ex-Chelsea icon would be taken off this season.
Nigerian-born attacker, Moses Odubajo was also involved at the opposing end as an 83rd-minute substitute for Sheffield Wednesday, while former Flying Eagles’ midfielder, Tom Dele-Bashiru stayed on Stoke’s bench for all 90 minutes of Saturday’s game.
