Nmecha, Danjuma on target: How Nigerian players performed in Tuesday's UCL fixtures
The UEFA Champions League resumed for the first set of matchday four fixtures played on Tuesday, November 2nd across various stadiums in Europe.
The glamour of the Champions League was in full effect, and Nigerian players were key participants in the spectacle. Here is a breakdown of how they performed on another night of elite European club football.
Wolfsburg 2-1 RB Salzburg
In the Group G fixture between German Bundesliga side Wolfsburg and Austrian outfit RB Salzburg, there was a lot of Nigerian flavour.
Wolfsburg, who ran away 2-1 winners against Salzburg, had a Nigerian in Lukas Nmecha to thank for picking up all three points.
Nmecha, who is of Nigerian descent. scored what proved to be the winner in the 60th minute to push them up to second in Group G and boost their chances of progression to the knockout stages of the competition.
Karim Adeyemi, who represents Germany at senior level, and Noah Okafor, who is part of the Switzerland first team, were some players of Nigerian descent who were also in action in this encounter for opponents Salzburg.
Adeyemi and Okafor both had opportunities to find the back of the net for Salzburg but could not convert. Unlike the two Salzburg stars, Nmecha is still eligible to play for Nigeria as he is yet to feature for the German first team.
Malmo 0-1 Chelsea
Premier League giants Chelsea recorded a narrow 1-0 win against Swedish outfit Malmo in a Group H fixture.
Super Eagles of Nigeria midfielder Innocent Bonke was in action for Malmo in this fixture. The Nigerian could not prevent Chelsea from taking home all three points, but put in a decent performance and played the entire duration of the game.
Villareal 2-0 Young Boys
Nigerian players were on display as Spanish La Liga side Villareal recorded a comfortable 2-0 victory against Young Boys of Switzerland.
Arnaut Danjuma, the Dutch international of Nigerian descent, sealed the win for Villarreal as he scored their second goal of the game in the 89th minute. Super Eagles forward Samuel Chukuweze also featured in this fixture, as he came off the bench for Yeremy Pino in the 59th minute.
The left-footed forward put in a decent shift but was unable to find the back of the net in this one.
Nigerian players are expected to be in action when the Champions League continues with matchday four fixtures scheduled for Wednesday, November 3rd.