After a long break since the last round of matches on May 19th, league football in Germany and other European countries kicked off last week, with Nigerian players already making their presence felt.
Friday:
Victor Boniface had a solid outing for Bayer Leverkusen, playing until the 82nd minute in their thrilling late-winner against Borussia Monchengladbach. Unfortunately, Nathan Tella remained on the bench for Leverkusen.
Kelechi Iheanacho finally made his much-anticipated debut for Sevilla, coming on in the 77th minute during their 1-2 away loss to Villareal. The former Leicester City forward replaced Isaac Romero.
Saturday:
Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey both played full matches for Fulham in their 2-1 victory over Leicester City, with Iwobi finding the back of the net. Wilfred Ndidi also featured for Leicester.
At Southampton, Joe Aribo put in a shift until the 70th minute before being substituted during their 1-0 away loss to Nottingham Forest. Ola Aina played the entire game for Forest, while Taiwo Awoniyi made an appearance in the 76th minute.
In the Championship, Semi Ajayi helped West Brom secure an away win against Stoke City.
Over in Spain, Christantus Uche led the line for Getafe in their goalless draw with Rayo Vallecano.
In Italy, Samuel Chukwueze featured for AC Milan until the 86th minute in their surprising defeat to Parma.
Zaidu Sanusi was again omitted from Porto’s squad as they cruised to a 2-0 victory over Rio Ave. In Portugal, Bruno Onyemachi played the full match in Boavista’s narrow 1-0 loss to Famalicão.
Leon Balogun started for Rangers in their 6-0 rout of Ross County but was subbed off in the second half due to discomfort.
Sunday:
Frank Onyeka entered the fray in the 78th minute for Brentford but couldn’t prevent a 2-0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield.
Jamilu Collins, still recovering from a leg injury, missed Cardiff City’s away draw with Swansea.
Ademola Lookman, currently in negotiations for a new club, did not feature in Atalanta’s 2-1 defeat to Torino.
In Ligue 1, Simon Moses scored for Nantes in their 2-0 home win over Auxerre before being substituted in the 78th minute.
Raphael Onyedika played the full 90 minutes for Club Brugge in their 2-1 win against FC Dender in the Portuguese League.
Kenneth Omeruo made a late appearance for Kasimpasa in their 2-2 draw with Adana Demirspor, coming on in the 88th minute.
The season is just beginning, but these performances signal a strong start for Nigerian players across Europe’s top leagues.
