Nigerian footballers across Europe and beyond produced a mixed but eventful weekend ahead of the international break, with Calvin Bassey, Gift Orban and Ibrahim Olawoyin among the standout performers for their respective clubs.
England
Bassey, Iwobi Help Fulham Hold Man United
Calvin Bassey delivered another solid performance for Fulham as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Manchester United at Craven Cottage on Sunday.
The Nigerian defender played a key role in the build-up to Fulham’s opening goal just after the hour mark. After winning a second ball, Bassey drove forward and unleashed a powerful effort that United goalkeeper Senne Lammens could only parry into the path of Lisandro Martinez, who inadvertently turned the ball into his own net.
Fulham looked set to secure their first victory under new manager Alvaro Arbeloa before Matheus Cunha rescued United in the 89th minute. The Brazilian’s 20-yard effort took a deflection off David Affengruber, wrong-footing goalkeeper Bernd Leno and finding the corner.
Bassey has now made five Premier League appearances this season, while compatriot Alex Iwobi featured for 71 minutes, also making his fifth league appearance.
Nnadozie Held by Aston Villa
Super Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie was unable to record another clean sheet as Brighton Women were held to a 1-1 draw by Aston Villa.
Brighton are still searching for their first Women’s Super League victory of the season after recording two draws and one defeat.
Turkey
Orban Continues Stunning Form
Gift Orban maintained his impressive scoring run in Turkey, registering a goal and an assist as Amedspor defeated Besiktas 3-2.
The performance came just days after his hat-trick in the previous match and took Orban’s tally to seven goals and two assists in six games.
The Nigerian striker is now joint-top scorer in the Turkish Super Lig alongside Mohamed Salah.
Olawoyin Ends Long Goal Drought
Ibrahim Olawoyin also found the net for Rizespor in their 2-2 draw away to Goztepe, scoring his first goal of the season and his first for the club in almost a year.
His previous goal for Rizespor came in December 2025 during their 6-1 Turkish Cup victory over Pendikspor.
The former Enugu Rangers midfielder has now scored 17 goals in more than 100 appearances for Rizespor since joining the club in January 2023.
Ndidi Unused as Besiktas Lose
Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi was an unused substitute as Besiktas suffered a 3-2 defeat away to Amedspor.
The midfielder has had limited playing time for the Turkish giants this season amid continued speculation over his future.
South Africa
Nwabali Keeps Third Clean Sheet
Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali recorded his third clean sheet of the season as Chippa United secured their first victory of the campaign.
The Nigerian shot-stopper had a relatively quiet outing, making just one save as Chippa claimed all three points.
Spain
Lookman Features in Madrid Derby Win
Ademola Lookman was involved as Atletico Madrid secured a 2-1 victory over city rivals Real Madrid on Sunday.
The result moved Atletico above their Madrid rivals in the LaLiga standings.
Lookman, who scored in Atletico’s previous match against Osasuna, started on the bench before replacing Alex Baena in the 67th minute.
The Nigerian forward has featured in four of Atletico’s seven league matches this season, contributing one goal and one assist.
Germany
Boniface Again Left on Bench
Victor Boniface was an unused substitute as Bayer Leverkusen secured a 2-0 Bundesliga victory over RB Leipzig at the BayArena.
The Nigerian striker, who recently returned to Leverkusen on loan from Werder Bremen, has managed only five minutes of Bundesliga action this season. Those minutes came during Leverkusen’s 3-2 defeat to Elversberg.
Italy
Chukwueze Continues in New Role
Samuel Chukwueze featured for AC Milan against Lecce on Sunday as the Italian giants looked to respond to their Europa League defeat to Benfica.
The Nigerian has adapted to a new wing-back role this season and has already contributed two assists.
Belgium
Durosinmi’s Scoring Run Ends
Rafiu Durosinmi saw his scoring streak come to an end as Genk suffered a 3-0 defeat away to Club Brugge.
The Nigerian striker failed to score and was booked during the encounter.
Despite the setback, Durosinmi enters the international break with an impressive five league goals in seven matches since joining Genk from Pisa in the summer.
Czech Republic
Fago Denied Late Goal
Salim Fago came off the bench for Viktoria Plzen and thought he had put his side ahead in the 84th minute, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside following a VAR review.
Plzen were eventually stunned in stoppage time as their opponents completed a 2-1 comeback victory.
Greece
Onyemaechi Misses Olympiacos Win
Bruno Onyemaechi did not feature as Olympiacos recorded a 1-0 away victory over Levadiakos.
The Nigerian defender had played only 45 minutes in their previous 2-1 Europa League win at Jagiellonia and has made just two league appearances this season.
Dessers Features in Panathinaikos Victory
Cyriel Dessers came on for the final 25 minutes as Panathinaikos secured a narrow 1-0 away win over Kalamata.
Scotland
Fernandes Helps Rangers Close Gap on Celtic
Emmanuel Fernandes continued his impressive run with Rangers, completing another 90 minutes as the Scottish giants secured back-to-back victories over Celtic within a week.
The Nigerian defender, who was voted Rangers’ Player of the Season last term, again played an important role as Rangers reduced Celtic’s lead to two points.
With the international break now approaching, several of the players will turn their attention to national-team duty, while others will use the pause to prepare for the next round of club fixtures.
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