FC Porto of Portugal defender, Zaidu Sanusi lasted only 56 minutes in action for his side against Liverpool of England in the UEFA Champion League, as both layer and club struggled for form on the night.
In contrast with what had been forecast as a defiant night against the former champions, Sanusi had a personal blight and his team capitulated, as The Reds from Anfield romped to a stunning 5-1 victory.
Megasportsarena.com reports that it marked another downturn of fortunes for Sanusi, who has failed so far this season to replicate the top form he had in his breakthrough run with Porto in the past campaign.
In contrast with his heroics of the previous season, Tuesday’s night’s show against Liverpool ended early, as he was taken off following a miserable hour on the pitch, in which Porto had conceded twice.
Sanusi’s poor control of the ball led directly to Mohamed Salah opening scoring for Liverpool after 18 minutes, with lots of blame going against the upper Eagles’ left-back, who has achieved a single start so far this term in the Portuguese top flight.
Incidentally, in Porto’s other UCL game this season, Sanusi had amazingly also been replaced at the half-way point of a goalless draw with Atletico Madrid of Spain after picking up a booking, in what was another nightmare night for the lad.
A survey by goal.com noted in the wake of Tuesday night’s heavy loss to Liverpool that: “(Sanusi) has failed to ignite anything close to his expectations, as a shadow of the rampant, vibrant full-back who was Nigeria’s star performer in the UCL last season.
“The signing of Wendell—a consequences of uncertainty around Sanusi’s future at Porto—is troubling news for the West African, who may well rue agitating for a move away from the club.
“At one point, rumours heavily linked him with a switch to Benfica, while there’s a suggestion too that West Ham United were also keen on recruiting him.
“Sanusi’s agent—speaking to local sources—indicated that he was surprised the full-back’s move to West Ham hadn’t gone through, with the reason being a late change of heart on the part of Conceicao.
“It’s left the defender making up for lost time since the season started—now with a rival threatening his playing time—and appearing out of sorts in his appearances to date.”
