Nigerian Duo Shine as Olakunle Olusegun and Mubarak Suleiman Grab Key Assists
Nigerian forwards making big waves in Europe is no longer news, but the latest performances from two rising stars deserve special attention.
Over the weekend, Olakunle Olusegun and Mubarak Suleiman both delivered crucial assists for their respective European clubs, though they experienced very different team results.
Olakunle Olusegun Sparks Dramatic Nizhny Novgorod Comeback
In the Russian Premier League, Olusegun proved to be the hero for Nizhny Novgorod during a tough away fixture against Rubin.
His team found themselves in deep trouble after falling two goals behind during the round 30 clash at the Ak Bars Arena.
Ruslan Bezrukov opened the scoring for Rubin early in the 15th minute. The situation grew worse for the visitors right after halftime when an unfortunate own goal by Nikita Kakkoev doubled Rubin’s advantage.
However, Nizhny Novgorod launched a fierce fightback. Vyacheslav Grulev pulled one back in the 61st minute to give the visitors hope. J
Just five minutes later, Olakunle Olusegun showed great vision to set up Grulev for his second goal of the match, sealing a dramatic 2-2 draw.
With that vital pass, the 24-year-old Nigerian attacker ends his league season with five goals and three assists in 26 games.
Suleiman Makes Instant Impact for Slavia Prague
Meanwhile, in the Czech First League, teenage midfielder Mubarak lSuleiman enjoyed a strong individual outing despite a tough day for his team.
Newly crowned champions Slavia Prague suffered a surprise 3-1 away defeat against Hradec Kralove in the Championship Group.
Slavia Prague struggled early on and fell behind to a 19th-minute strike from Ondrej Mihálik.
The hosts added two more goals in the second half through Vladimir Darida and Daniel Horak to take a commanding 3-0 lead.
Mubarak Suleiman started the match on the bench but entered the fray in the 63rd minute.
The 19-year-old needed only 23 minutes on the pitch to make his mark. He skillfully created a late consolation goal for Dan Kohout in the 86th minute.
While fellow Nigerian defender Igoh Ogbu played the entire 90 minutes, Suleiman’s brilliant cameo was the main highlight for the champions.
The assist brings the youngster’s tally to four direct goal involvements in just seven league appearances this season.
