–Mikel, Akpan return; Ogbeche, Oduamadi sees red
ENGLAND
Mikel Obi (Chelsea): Nigerian midfielder, John Obi Mikel, returned to action for Chelsea who extended their Premier League lead to seven points after Manchester City draw at home with Hull City. Mikel replaced Oscar in the 73rd minute of the nervy win at Aston Villa. He has chalked up 14 EPL appearances for the Blues so far.
Kenneth Omeruo (Middlesbrough): Super Eagles defender, Kenneth Omeruo was on from start to finish in Middlebrough’s 3-1 win against Charlton Athletic.
Brown Ideye, Victor Anichebe (West Brom): Nigerian forward, Brown Ideye earned a point for West Brom when he scored the equaliser in the 67th minute of his side’s 2-2 draw against Burnley. The former Dynamo Kiev striker last scored in the Baggies 3-1 loss to Manchester City on Boxing Day. It was his third for the club in all competitions.West Brom top-scorer, Saido Berahino replaced Victor Anichebe who trudged off with an apparent injury.The point means West Brom stay 15th, two points better off Burnley.
Shola Ameobi (Crystal Palace): Former Nigerian international, Shola Ameobi watched from the stands as his new team, Crystal Palace pipped Leicester City by a lone goal at the King Power Stadium.
Odion Ighalo (Watford): Former Olympic international, Odion Ighalo, was the match winner for his English Championship side Watford on Saturday as they defeated Blackburn Rovers 1-0. Ighalo scored the only goal of the match in the 83rd minute, his 12th of the campaign, just when the visiting team had hoped to earn a point off their hosts. Watford now has 50 points from 29 games.
Hope Akpan, Yakubu Aiygbeni (Reading): Super Eagles midfielder, Hope Akpan, made a cameo appearance for Reading when he came on for Simon Cox in the 86th minute of his side’s 2-1 away win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux Stadium. It was his first game since he dislocated his shoulder on duty with the Super Eagles. His compatriot Yakubu was an unused substitute.
Sammy Ameobi (Newcastle United); Victor Moses (Stoke City): Nigerian duo of Victor Moses and Sammy Ameobi were on from start for their respective teams who played out a1-1 draw at St James’ Park. Both players were yellow carded in the encounter.
While Moses has played 13 games and scored once on loan at the Potters, Sammy Ameobi who was replaced by Mehdi Abeid in the 86th minute has two goals in 17 EPL games.
Sone Aluko (Hull City): Super Eagles midfielder Sone Aluko played 67 minutes for Hull City who were forced to a 1-1 draw against Manchester City at the Ethiad stadium. Robertson replaced Aluko in what was his 15th appearance for the Tigers. He has a goal to his credit.
Adebayo Akinfenwa (AFC Wimbledon): Nigerian striker, Adebayo Akinfenwa, was AFC Wimbledon’s hero as he scored a brace to secure a 2-0 win for his side against Newport County in a League Two game. Akinfenwa opened the scoring in the 11th minute and added another in the 72nd minute. He could have bagged a hat-trick but missed the golden chance when his poorly taken penalty was saved. He has now scored 11 goals in the English League Two.
Chuba Akpom (Arsenal): Nigeria born striker, Chuba Akpom played the last two minutes of Arsenal’s 2-1 loss to Tottenham at White Hart Lane on Saturday as the home side leapfrogged their local rivals. He has made three substitute appearances for the Gunners.
Jordan Ibe (Liverpool): Nigerian winger, Jordan Ibe was handed only his second Barclays Premier League start in the 224th Merseyside derby that ended goalless at Goodison Park. Ibe who returned from a six month loan spell at Derby came closest to breaking the deadlock when he ran past two Everton defenders before planting a 25-yard shot against the upright.
FRANCE
Vincent Enyeama (Lille): Super Eagles skipper, Vincent Enyeama conceded his 21th goal of the season in action for Lille who defeated Montpellier HSC 2-1. Enyeama has been in goal for Lille 24 times so far this season in the Ligue 1.
Elderson Echiejile (AS MOnaco): Super Eagles defender, Elderson Echiejile was an unused substitute for Monaco who slumped to a 1-0 defeat away to Guingamp. He has made 10 appearances in the Ligue 1 albeit scoring once.
ITALY
Nnamdi Oduamadi (Latina): Super Eagles winger, Nnamdi Oduamadi was given the marching orders in Latina’s 1-0 loss away to Avelino. It was his first ever red card in his career. He has played three games.
SPAIN
Kalu Uche (Levante): Nigeria striker, Kalu Uche scored in his second appearance for Levante in La Liga on Saturday as they thrashed Malaga 4-1. The former Al Jaish forward hit the target in the 75th minute to give his side a 4-1 lead. He was replaced by Víctor Casadesús in the 79th minute. Levante are bottom of the league table with 16 points from 21 games
Ike Uche (Villareal): Super Eagles striker, Ikechukwu Uche played for 73 minutes and failed to score in Villarreal’s 2-0 home win against Granada at the Estadio El Madrigal, stretching his goal drought tally to five games. The 31-year-old who last scored in Villarreal’s 2-2 draw on New Year’s Day was replaced by Giovani dos Santos. Uche has scored five goals in 20 La Liga games.
Ramon Azeez (Almeria): Super Eagles midfielder Ramon Azeez was left out of Almeria’s squad that defeated Cordoba 2-1 on Sunday. He has played nine games so far.
HOLLAND
Bartholomew Ogbeche (Cambuur): Former Nigerian striker, Bartholomew Ogbeche was shown a straight red card for a dangerous tackle in action for Cambuur who lost 2-1 to Feyenoord in the Eredivisie on Sunday. He has scored 10 goals in 20 appearances.
TURKEY
Emmanuel Emenike (Fenerbache): Super Eagles striker, Emmanuel Emenike played the entire duration of Fenerbache’s goalless draw at home to Trabzonspor. Emenike who ended his eight game goal drought against his former team Karabukspor last week has bagged three goals in 16 games.
Joseph Akpala (Karabukspor): Nigeria striker Joseph Akpala scored his third goal in the Turkish Super League as he helped Karabukspor play out a 2-2 draw at Istanbul BB on Friday. The former Werder Bremen striker opened the scoring in the 21st minute to give his side a 1-0 lead. Karabukspor occupy 17th position in the 18-team league with 16 points from 19 games.
GREECE
Dele Adeleye (OFI), Michael Olaitan (Ergotelis): Former Flying Eagles midfielder Michael Olaitan was an unused substitute for Ergotelis as they defeated OFI 3-2 at home. The former Olympiakos player has only featured once for Ergotelis since his switch. His Nigerian counterpart, Dele Adeleye was not included in the squad.
BELGIUM
Imoh Ezekiel (Standard Liege): One-cap Super Eagles striker, Imoh Ezekiel marked his return to Standard Liege with a goal in their 3-0 home win against Mouscron-Peruwelz. Prior to his move to Al Arabi, Ezekiel netted 12 goals in 39 appearances in the 2013/2014 season.
Moses Simon (Gent): Nigerian forward, Moses Simon scored on 61 minutes and provided two assists as Gent thrashed Westerlo 4-0. Simon who later went off for Niclas Pedersen in the 79th minute, has now scored four goals in four appearance so far. Last weekend, he grabbed a hat-trick in their 3-3 draw against Lokeren.
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