Kelechi Iheanacho remains the most in-form Nigerian player abroad, and the 30-year-old forward is showing no sign of weakness in front of goal for Bursaspor in the Turkish 1st Division.

Tolu Arokodare found the back of the net for the second consecutive week for Ajax Amsterdam in the Dutch Eredivisie. At the same time, George Ilenikhena did the same in the Saudi Pro League.

Cyriel Dessers powered Panathinaikos to a narrow win in the Greek Super League, extending his form in front of goal for the fourth game in a row.

Super Eagles stars made significant contributions for their clubs abroad over the weekend, and here’s our review of how the players fared ah as of the resumption of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

England

Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey (Fulham)

The two Super Eagles players played important roles as Fulham recorded their second win of the season. Bassey played the duration of the match while Iwobi came off late in the tie. Calvin Bassey marshalled the defence, helping the Cottagers keep a clean sheet, while Alex Iwobi helped control the tempo in midfield as Fulham beat Coventry 1-0 away from home. With the victory over Hull City and Coventry, Fulham now occupy the 15th spot on the log with eight points from eight matches.

Frank Onyeka and Taiwo Awoniyi (Coventry)

Onyeka and Awoniyi were on the losing side as Coventry fell to their sixth loss of the season. The Super Eagles duo came off the bench in the second half before Oscar Bobb’s 80-minute winner for Fulham. Awoniyi had just two touches in the opposition boxes but had no attempt on goal as he continues to hunt his first Premier League goal for Coventry City. While Onyeka had a significant contribution as he made four passes into the final third, made tackles, recovered possession and won a couple of duels in 45 minutes, his efforts were not enough to secure a point for his side.

Ola Aina (Nottingham Forest)

Ola Aina sat on the bench for the second game in a row for Nottingham Forest as the Tricky Trees’ struggles continued over the weekend. Aina watched from the bench as Nottingham Forest shared points with Ipswich Town at Portman Road on Friday evening. Ola Aina last played for Forest in the 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace two weeks ago. Ola Aina has featured in five of Nottingham Forest’s eight Premier League matches so far.

Bright Osayi-Samuel (Birmingham City)

Osayi-Samuel played until the 78th minute in Birmingham City’s loss at Cardiff. The right fullback had an average performance as his side fell to a 1-0 loss as their five-game unbeaten run ended. The 28-year-old has featured in 14 matches across all competitions this season for the Blues.

Ryan Alebiosu (Blackburn)

The Super Eagles defender played for 90 minutes as Blackburn beat Wrexham to move to the 10th spot on the Championship log. Alebiosu started in five consecutive matches for Blackburn and remains an integral part of Tony Mowbray’s side. Ryan Alebiosu could be in contention to return to the Super Eagles for next month’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Germany

Frank Onyedika (Eintracht Frankfurt)

The Super Eagles midfielder was in action as Eintracht Frankfurt lost to Borussia Dortmund at the Signal Iduna Park. Onyedika put in a decent shift in midfield in his seventh consecutive Bundesliga start for Frankfurt. The three passes into the final third and had two successful dribbles. His defensive contributions didn’t go unnoticed as he won 50% of his duels.

Victor Boniface and Nathan Tella (Bayern Leverkusen)

Boniface was left on the bench for the fourth Bundesliga match in a row. The 25-year-old striker continues to endure a torrid time on the bench. Boniface was not included in Leverkusen’s Europa League squad and has only featured once for the club this season. The striker is likely to weigh his options in the January transfer window as he’s still contracted to the club until 2028.

Meanwhile, Nathan Tella started the away trip to Hoffenheim but featured for 64 minutes in the 1-0 loss. Tella had two shots on target and missed a big chance in over one hour of play time. The former Burnley forward is yet to make a contribution for Bayern Leverkusen since he returned from injury.
Turkey

Kelechi Iheanacho (Bursaspor)

The 30-year-old will probably score with his eyes blindfolded at this rate. Iheanacho extended his prolific form in front of goal to 12 matches in a row as he helped Bursaspor to a 4-2 win over Kesiorengucu on Saturday. Iheanacho got on the score sheet in the 50th minute, finding the back of the net in his 12th consecutive match for the club. Kelechi Iheanacho continues to break and set his consecutive goal record for the club and Turkish football every week and is showing no signs of relenting. The Super Eagles forward is likely to make Eric Chele’s squad for next month’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Tanzania. Iheanacho currently leads the scorer’s chart in the Turkish 1st Division with 16 goals.

Gift Orban (Amedspor)

Gift Orban got back on the scoresheet as Amedspor picked up maximum points away at Samsunspor on Saturday. The Nigerian forward had gone two games without scoring but inspired Amedspor, a club with Kurdish origin, to a 2-1 win away from home. Orban restored parity from the penalty spot in the 73rd minute to register his eighth goal of the season with three assists. Gift Orban also provided the assist for Dia Saba’s winner to wrap up a brilliant evening for the former Gent, Hoffenheim and Lyon forward. Orban now has eight goals in nine Super Lig matches. The 24-year-old is enjoying a fantastic start to life with Amedspor and could be in line to make a move to reigning Turkish champions Galatasaray, with whom he had been linked to at the end of the season.

France

Tochukwu Nnadi (Marseille)

Nnadi was on for 90 minutes and had an impressive outing for Marseille in the seven-goal thriller against Le Havre on Sunday night. The former Flying Eagles midfielder made nine accurate passes into the final third and completed 90% of his passes. Nnadi continues to get consistent playing time for the French club and made his second start for the club since he returned from injury three weeks ago. The injury kept the 20-year-old from featuring in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Madagascar.

Moses Simon (Paris FC)

Moses Simon is yet to score or assist this season, and the trend continued in Paris FC’s 2-1 loss on Saturday. The forward came on as a second-half substitute but couldn’t rescue his side from their second loss of the season. The 31-year-old has one start in six Ligue 1 appearances for Paris FC so far this season.

Italy
Fisayo Dele-Bashiru (Lazio)

Dele-Bashiru came on in the final quarter as Lazio extended their unbeaten run across all competitions to ten matches. The midfielder came on for Dutch midfielder Kenneth Taylor to help see off the 2-1 win over Parma at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday. The 25-year-old had a decent outing as he made five passes into the opposition’s defensive area. Dele-Bashiru has featured as a substitute in three consecutive matches for Genarro Gattuso’s men since he returned from his six-week layoff.

Akor Adams (Venezia)

Adams could not give his side the win like he did last week. The Super Eagles striker had an average display for Venezia in their 1-0 loss to Genoa on Sunday afternoon. Adams had two shots and made nine touches in Genoa’s box. The Super Eagles striker played for the entire duration of the tie for the fifth game this season and has scored two goals in eight matches so far. The loss leaves Venezia bottom of the Serie A with three points from eight matches.

Netherlands

Tolu Arokodare (Ajax Amsterdam)

Arokodare scored in his second consecutive game for Ajax in the 2-1 win away at Sparta Rotterdam. The 25-year-old forward, who scored in the win over Atalanta in the UEFA Conference League, found the back of the net again over the weekend to register his fifth Eredivisie goal of the season. Arokodare scored the decisive goal in added time of the first half as he rifled a low drive into the bottom corner from the edge of the box off an assist from Julia Brandt. The 25-year-old has nine goals in 14 matches for Ajax since he joined the club on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Summer.

Saudi Arabia

George Ilenikhena (Al Ittihad)

Ilenikhena scored his sixth goal of the season for Al Ittihad in the 2-0 win over Al Diriya on Friday night. He scored the opener on the half-hour mark before former Liverpool midfielder Georgino Wijnaldum secured the win from the penalty spot in the 73rd minute. Ilenikhena has six goals in eight matches for Al Ittihad this season and currently sits fourth in the Saudi Pro League scorers chart. George Ilenikhena marked his Super Eagles debut with a goal against Madagascar in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers last month and could be in Eric Chelle’s squad for the November window of the qualification series based on his current form.