Bassey shines as Orban equals Salah in Super Lig goal chart - Punch Newspapers

With the international break coming up next, Nigerian players across Europe and beyond provided plenty to assess over the weekend, with Calvin Bassey, Gift Orban and Ibrahim Olawoyin among those who caught the eye for their respective clubs. ABIODUN ADEWALE writes ENGLAND Bassey, Iwobi (Fulham) File; Calvin Bassey Calvin Bassey led Fulham to another spirited display at home on Sunday as they settled for a late 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Craven Cottage. After a goalless opening spell, Bassey took the initiative just after the hour mark, driving forward after winning a second ball and unleashing a shot that United goalkeeper Senne Lammens could only parry into the path of Lisandro Martinez, who followed up to score. Fulham appeared to be cruising towards their first win under new manager Alvaro Arbeloa until Matheus Cunha struck in the 89th minute. His 20-yard effort took a wicked deflection off Fulham centre-back David Affengruber, wrong-footing goalkeeper Bernd Leno and finding the corner of the net. Bassey’s teammate and compatriot, Alex Iwobi, was on for 71 minutes, making his fifth appearance of the Premier League season, the same number as Bassey. Chiamaka Nnadozie (Brighton Women) There was no clean sheet for Nnadozie again on Sunday as Brighton Women were held to a 1-1 draw by visiting Aston Villa Women. Nnadozie and Brighton are still searching for their first WSL win of the season after two draws and one defeat. TURKEY Gift Orban (Amedspor) File: Gift Orban Off the back of a hat-trick last week, Orban continued his fine form in Turkey with a goal and an assist in Amedspor’s 3-2 win over Besiktas. He has now scored seven goals and provided two assists in six games, making him the Super Lig’s joint-leading scorer with Mohamed Salah. Ibrahim Olawoyin (Rizespor) Olawoyin helped Rizespor to a 2-2 draw at Goztepe on Sunday, scoring his first goal of the season as well as his first for the club in almost a year. The midfielder’s last goal for Rizespor came in December 2025, during their 6-1 win over Pendikspor in the Turkish Cup. The former Enugu Rangers man has now scored 17 goals in more than 100 appearances for the club since joining in January 2023. Wilfred Ndidi (Besiktas) File photo: Wilfred Ndidi Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi was an unused substitute as Besiktas fell to a 3-2 defeat at Amedspor. The midfielder has seen limited action for the club this season perhaps due to unresolved transfer speculations. SOUTH AFRICASee more Punch stories on Google.Add Punch on Google Stanley Nwabali (Chippa United) Nwabali kept his third clean sheet of the season on Sunday as Chippa United secured their first win of the campaign. The Nigeria shot-stopper was barely tested, making just one save during the game. SPAIN Ademola Lookman (Atletico Madrid) File: Ademola Lookman Atletico Madrid celebrated a 2-1 derby win over Real Madrid on Sunday, with Lookman playing a part in the victory that moved them above their city rivals in the LaLiga table. Lookman, who scored in their last game against Osasuna, started on the bench against Real Madrid and came on for Alex Baena in the 67th minute. He has played in four of Atletico’s seven league games this season, scoring once and providing one assist. Lookman sets AFCON qualifiers target for Eagles Lookman eyes Los Blancos scalp in Madrid derby Orban, Ndidi clash in Turkish Super Lig GERMANY Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen) Boniface was an unused substitute again as Bayer Leverkusen secured their second Bundesliga win of the season with a 2-0 victory over RB Leipzig at the BayArena. The Nigerian, who recently returned to Leverkusen on loan from Werder Bremen, has seen only five minutes of league action this season, which came in their 3-2 defeat to Elversberg. ITALY Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan) Chukwueze was in action for AC Milan against Lecce on Sunday as they looked to bounce back from their Europa League defeat to Benfica. The Nigerian has already provided two assists this season since being deployed in a new wing-back role. BELGIUM Rafiu Durosinmi (Genk) Durosinmi’s scoring run was halted on Sunday as the Nigeria striker failed to find the net in Genk’s 3-0 defeat at Club Brugge. He was also booked in the game. The Super Eagles striker heads into the international break with five league goals in seven games for Genk this season after joining from Pisa in the summer. CZECH REPUBLIC Salim Fago (Plzen) Fago came on as a second-half substitute for Plzen on Sunday and had a goal disallowed for offside in the 84th minute. Had the goal stood after a VAR review, he would have put Plzen 2-1 ahead, but the hosts were stunned in stoppage time as their opponents completed a 2-1 comeback win. GREECE Bruno Onyemaechi (Olympiacos) Onyemaechi did not feature in Olympiacos’ 1-0 win at Levadiakos on Sunday. The Nigerian defender also lasted 45 minutes in their previous 2-1 win at Jagiellonia in the Europa League. He has made only two league appearances this season. Cyriel Dessers (Panathinaikos) Dessers was on for 25 minutes as Panathinaikos secured a 1-0 away win over Kalamata. SCOTLAND Emmanuel Fernandes (Rangers) It was back-to-back wins over Celtic for Rangers within a week, with Emmanuel Fernandes again playing a key role. The Nigeria defender, who was voted the club’s Player of the Season last term, completed another 90 minutes as Rangers closed the gap on Celtic to two points. Abiodun Adewale Abiodun, who reports Sports for PUNCH, covers different tiers of the Nigerian football league, the national teams, as well as cricket, in the last six years

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