Pre-Season Spark: Taiwo Awoniyi Strikes Fast as Nottingham Forest Cruise Past Blackburn

Nottingham Forest continued their pre-season preparations in impressive fashion with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers at the Estadio da Nora, driven by a standout substitute appearance from Super Eagles striker Taiwo Awoniyi.

Igor Jesus Breaks the Deadlock: Forest controlled much of the opening half and earned a deserved lead in the 40th minute when Igor Jesus found the net shortly before the interval.

 

Rapid Second-Half Surge: The Premier League side wasted no time after the restart. Arnaud Kalimuendo doubled Forest’s advantage in the 48th minute with a quick-fire strike.

Awoniyi Makes Instant Impact: Substituted on at half-time for Jesus, Taiwo Awoniyi needed just four minutes on the pitch to make his mark, finishing clinically in the 50th minute to cap off a commanding three-goal spell.

The friendly game also featured several other notable Nigerian talents on both sides:

Ryan Alebiosu put in a 62-minute shift for Blackburn Rovers before being replaced by Harry Pickering.

Chinaza Nwosu, the young English-born Nigerian midfielder, earned valuable minutes for Nottingham Forest during the second half.

After an injury-disrupted previous campaign where he recorded four goals and one assist across 18 appearances, Awoniyi will be aiming to build momentum and establish himself as a primary focal point in Forest’s attack for the upcoming season.

While Nottingham Forest build confidence with a convincing win, Blackburn will look to refine their setup as pre-season preparations continue.