Gift Orban shines, Bassey, Lookman impress: How Nigerian players fared abroad

Nigerian players were in action across Europe’s major leagues and beyond over the weekend, with Calvin Bassey, Ademola Lookman, Gift Orban, Rafiu Durosinmi and Ibrahim Olawoyin among those who made notable contributions for their respective clubs.

From the Premier League to LaLiga, the Bundesliga, Serie A, Turkish Super Lig and beyond, several Super Eagles stars and Nigerian players featured as their clubs continued their domestic campaigns.

Here is a round-up of the weekend’s action involving Super Eagles players and Nigerians

Calvin Bassey — Fulham

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.

The Brazilian’s 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.

Ademola Lookman — Atletico Madrid

Ademola Lookman was introduced from the bench as Atletico Madrid secured a 2-1 derby victory over Real Madrid on Sunday, a result that lifted Diego Simeone’s side above their city rivals in the LaLiga table.

Lookman, who scored in Atletico’s previous league game against Osasuna, started on the bench before replacing Alex Baena in the 67th minute.

The Nigerian international has featured in four of Atletico’s seven league games this season, scoring once and providing one assist.

Victor Boniface — Bayer Leverkusen

Victor Boniface was an unused substitute once again as Bayer Leverkusen claimed their second Bundesliga victory of the season with a 2-0 win over RB Leipzig at the BayArena.

The Nigerian striker, who recently returned to Leverkusen on loan from Werder Bremen, has struggled for regular playing time since his return.

Boniface has managed only five minutes of league action this season, which came during Leverkusen’s 3-2 defeat to Elversberg.

Samuel Chukwueze — AC Milan

Samuel Chukwueze featured for AC Milan on Sunday as the Italian giants looked to bounce back from their Europa League defeat to Benfica.

The Nigerian international has already contributed two assists this season after being deployed in a new wing-back role.

His ability to provide width and attacking support from the position has added another dimension to his role within the Milan setup.

Emmanuel Fernandez — Rangers

It was back-to-back victories over Celtic for Rangers within the space of a week, with Nigerian defender Emmanuel Fernandez once again playing a key role.

Fernandez completed another 90 minutes as Rangers secured the win and closed the gap on Celtic to two points.

The Nigerian defender, who was voted Rangers’ Player of the Season last term, continues to be an important figure in the club’s defence.

Rafiu Durosinmi — Genk

Rafiu Durosinmi’s scoring run was brought to an end on Sunday as the Nigeria striker failed to find the net in Genk’s 3-0 defeat away to Club Brugge.

The Super Eagles striker was also booked during the game.

Despite the setback, Durosinmi heads into the international break with five league goals in seven games for Genk this season after joining the Belgian club from Pisa in the summer.

Gift Orban — Amedspor

Gift Orban continued his remarkable run of form in Turkey, following up last week’s hat-trick with a goal and an assist in Amedspor’s 3-2 victory over Besiktas.

The Hoffenheim loanee now has seven goals and two assists in six games, making him the Turkish Super Lig’s joint-leading scorer alongside Mohamed Salah.

Orban’s latest contribution further underlined his impressive start to life in Turkey as he continues to make a strong case for attention with his goalscoring form.

Wilfred Ndidi — Besiktas

Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi was an unused substitute as Besiktas suffered a 3-2 defeat away to Amedspor.

The midfielder has seen limited action for the club this season, perhaps amid unresolved transfer speculation surrounding his future.

Ndidi watched from the bench as Orban and Amedspor claimed all three points in the five-goal encounter.

Ibrahim Olawoyin — Rizespor

Also in Turkey, Super Eagles midfielder Ibrahim Olawoyin opened his goalscoring account for the season as Rizespor were held to a 2-2 draw by Göztepe.

Olawoyin showed great composure under pressure on the edge of the box, calmly slotting the ball into the bottom corner in the 70th minute to bring Rizespor level.

It was his first goal of the season and his first for the club in almost a year.

The midfielder’s previous goal for Rizespor came in December 2025, when he scored during their 6-1 Turkish Cup victory over Pendikspor.

The former Enugu Rangers man has now scored 17 goals in more than 100 appearances for Rizespor since joining the club in January 2023.

Cyriel Dessers — Panathinaikos

Cyriel Dessers was introduced for the final 25 minutes as Panathinaikos secured a 1-0 away victory over Kalamata.

The Super Eagles’ striker came on as his side held on to claim an important win on the road.

Bruno Onyemaechi — Olympiacos

Bruno Onyemaechi did not feature as Olympiacos secured a 1-0 away victory over Levadiakos on Sunday.

The Nigerian defender had also lasted only 45 minutes in Olympiacos’ previous outing, a 2-1 victory over Jagiellonia in the Europa League.

Onyemaechi has made only two league appearances for the Greek champions this season.

Stephen Odey — Floriana

In Malta, Floriana forward Stephen Odey was also on target as his side cruised to a comfortable 4-0 victory over Hibernians on Sunday.

The former MFM FC striker scored Floriana’s third goal in the second half, putting the visitors firmly in control and helping them secure all three points.

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Salim Fago — Plzen

In the Czech Republic, Salim Fago came off the bench for Plzen on Sunday and thought he had given his side the lead late in the game.

Fago found the net in the 84th minute, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Had the effort stood following a VAR review, Fago would have put Plzen 2-1 ahead.

Instead, the hosts were stunned in stoppage time as their opponents completed a 2-1 comeback victory.

Stanley Nwabali — Chippa United

In South Africa, Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali kept his third clean sheet of the season as Chippa United secured their first win of the campaign on Sunday.

The Super Eagles shot-stopper was barely tested during the encounter, making just one save as Chippa United finally picked up maximum points.

Nwabali’s shutout further strengthened his personal start to the campaign, with the Nigeria international now having three clean sheets to his name.