Racing Genk of Belgium’s in-form attacker, Paul Ebere Onuachu is relishing his amazing burst of top form on Wednesday, as he netted his 23rd goal of the season in grand style; as the 25-year-old giant netted the match winner that took his side into the Belgium Cup quarter-final.
Megasportsarena.com reports that the leading scorer in the Belgian top-flight league delivered the match winner with only three minutes left on the clock and he has now equaled his best-ever goals tally in a single season, with the only goal of the victory over Sint-Truiden at Luminus Arena on Wednesday.
While fellow-Nigerian striker Cyriel Dessers was an unused sub for Genk and youthful defender, Junior Pius, who is on loan at Sint-Truiden from Antwerp, also sat out this game, Onuachu struck the match-winning goal for his Limburg club in the 87th minute.
It took Onuachu’s tally for the season to 23 goals in all competitions, 22 of which were scored in the Belgian First Division A, as the product of Young Stars FC of Lagos and FC Ebedei of Sagamu equaled his prolific form of the 2016/17 campaign, when he notched 23 goals from 45 matches with FC Midtjylland of Denmark.
However, while none of his goals came from penalties in his most productive season with FC Midtjylland, the lanky attacker has netted five from the spot this term and, with several games remaining, Onuachu appears set to beat his scoring record for a single season, with an early chance to set a new personal record coming this Saturday when Genk visit KV Oostende.
Also in Belgium this midweek, Ike Ugbo got one of the goals that helped Cercle Brugge reach the Belgian Cup quarter-finals with a 3-1 victory over K.V. Oostende at Jan Breydelstadion, despite the visitors taking a shock lead through Nick Bätzner on the half-hour.
Deman netted a quick equaliser in the 33rd minute, before second half goals from Denkey and Ugbo earned Cercle Brugge victory, despite their coach, Yves Vanderhaeghe fielding some players who have not played much in the Belgian First Division A this season.
That decision saw Ugbo start on the bench, then went on as a 89th minute substitute, with the score 2-1, and he made an immediate impact by scoring a third goal for the home team on 90 minutes, after getting a through pass from fellow substitute, Thibo Somers.
In doing so, Ugbo, who is on loan from Chelsea of England, took his tally of goals this season in all competitions to 12 on target from 25 matches, including 11 in the top-flight Belgian league, thereby tacitly inviting transfer bids from top clubs across Europe this summer.
In England, Mipo Odubeko surprisingly on and off for West Ham United, as his side failed to stop Manchester United from going through to the last eight of the FA Cup following a hard-fought 1-0 victory for The Red Devils after extra-time on Tuesday night at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils found it difficult breaching the defensive tactics of David Moyes’ side but seven minutes into extra-time Scott McTominay put his team ahead and into the quarter-finals for the seventh year in a row, with Odubeko part of The Hammers’ squad but started on the bench.
The 18-year-old Nigerian-born Ireland youth international, who incidentally joined West Ham from Man United in 2019, was The Hammers’ fourth substitute of the night, replacing Andriy Yarmolenko in the 54th minute, but he hardly got any support up from his defense-conscious side and was subsequently substituted in the 112nd minute.
In Wales, Cardiff City’s coach, Mick McCarthy has showered praises on his team’s Nigerian-born winger, Sheyi Ojo for his goal in a 2-1 win at Rotherham United.
McCarthy described the dark-skinned lad on loan from Liverpool of England as great, after Ojo scored the opening goal of the game to take his season’s goal haul to five and Cardiff climbed to 11th in the English Championship.
Ojo’s sizzler also earned him rave reviews in the media, even as McCarthy declared: “For his goal, Sheyi was as cool as a cucumber! It was a lovely finish, and he is a very good player. He’s playing up front with Kieffer, he’s got great ability and he’s quick, as well.”
