Super Eagles defender William Troost Ekong played all 90 minutes for Udinese who shared the spoils with Sassuolo in a Serie A league game on Sunday reports Completesportsnigeria.com.
It was Ekong’s 14th successive start for Udinese since he joined the club and it was the fourth clean sheet of this season for the club.
Stadio Grande Torino, Ola Aina came on for Lorenzo De Silvestri on the hour mark for Torino who came from a goal down to beat ten-man Genoa 2-1.
Genoa had won only one of their last 35 Serie A trips to Torino, 3-2 in May 2009, interrupting 12 draws and 22 defeats.
Christian Kouame scored the opener for Genoa from close range in the 36th minute but just as Genoa were preparing to go into the half-time break with the advantage, Toro struck twice to turn everything around.
First Cristian Ansaldi controlled a loose ball and smashed the right-foot daisy-cutter into the bottom corner from the edge of the box, then moments later Sandro wildly swung a boot at Iago Falque to bring the forward down.
Andrea Belotti converted the resulting penalty, just about squirming the ball under Ionut Radu, to complete a stoppage-time comeback.
Romulo was booked twice in three minutes, the second time for a ridiculously high foot that caught Meita in the shoulder.
The game was Aina’s 12th of the season.
Joel Obi played for 74 minutes before he was replaced by Sofian Kiyine in Chievo Verona’s 1-1 draw against SS Lazio.
In Spain, Ramon Azeez played all 90 minutes for Lugo who lost 1-0 away to Osasuna.
In Belgium, Emmanuel Dennis scored on his return to Club Brugge KV starting line-up on Sunday in their 3-0 home win over Standard Liege who benched Uche Agbo for the entire duration of the game.
Dennis who missed Club Brugge’s last five games doubled his side’s lead in the 17th minute after Stefano Denswil had opened the scoring ten minutes earlier
The goal was his third league goal of the season.
In Denmark, Paul Onuachu bagged his 10th league goal of the season for FC Midtjylland who spanked Randers FC 2-1 on Sunday. Onuachu scored the winner in the 58th minute after Marvin Egho had canceled out Awer Mabil’s opener for FC Midtjylland.
Stephen Odey scored his sixth league goal of the season for FC Zurich beat Grasshoppers 2-0 at the Letzigrund stadium.
Odey sealed his side’s win in the 84th minute after Salim Khelifi had broke the deadlock six minutes before the hour mark for the hosts FC Zurich. The goal took his tally to ten in all competitions this season.
Henry Onyekuru fired blanks in his 13th league appearance for Galatasaray who lost 1-0 to Besiktas. The Nigerian international was replaced in the 83rd minute for Omer Bayram.
By Johnny Edward.
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COMMENTS
Welldone Stephen Odey, you definitely deserve a National team call up. Banging in goals from MFM to FC Zurich and still continuing week in week out. I think you are more consistent than Kelechi and Success. Wishing you all the best and hoping to see you in the green white green for you father land.
Problem is Odey plays centre forward whilst Success can play from either wing and Kelechi can play attacking midfielder, right wing or second striker.
I foresee that it will be a straight up battle for the sub striker during AFCON to cover for Ighalo between Osimhen and Odey. And they will both probably rotate the position after AFCON and inthe run up to the next World Cup if they keep their form, fitness and sharpness
I sometimes wonder the wisdom of spending scarce time in trying to convince dual nationalities – many of whom are average players at best –
to play for Nigeria when we have plentiful untapped talents who are single-nationality like Odey, Aminu Umar and Abdul Ajagun.
Imagine that Brian Idowu, the average of average players.
I mean, there is nothing wrong in increasing the pool of Players for the national team by casting the net wide enough to capture dual nationalities.
But when you do this at the expense of decent indigenous players, then there is a problem.
I am really getting fed up of reading headlines of Rohr trying to convince this and that to play for Nigeria when we haven’t fully exhausted the options open to us.
Very true, but then again, we have only just turned a corner. Before the world cup, Nigeria has had problems with scouting for players. And a lot of lobbying for players by agents who are looking to give their players a shop window.
We now are more able to see players who were more or less invisible maybe because they were/are playing in “lesser leagues”.
I agree we should not be chasing players, instead players should be chasing us. Why chase Sheyi Ojo, Danjuma and lookman on the right wing when we have:
Kalu, Chukwueze, Bonaventure (Club Brugge Belgian champions, Champions League and former under 15 Nigeria), Kingsley Michael (Perugia and former golden eaglets 2015) producing man of the match game in game out, Godwin Saviour (Roeselare Belgium), Ubong Ekpai (Kasimpasa), Samuel Adegbenro (Rosenberg Danish premier League champions).
When will we give these a chance or are we going to discard players that we have developed and are playing at their peak for “oyibo made”???
We are chasing German players for left back when Chima Akas is there performing wonders at Kalmarr in the Swedish premier league and they are looking to improve his contract
We are looking for A number 10 in addition to Iwobi and instead of trying Atiemwen in HNK Gorica or Osuji in Gorica ND or Ifeanyi Matthew of Lillestrom in Norway, Ajagun, (u17 in 2009, u 20 in 2011 captain) in Kortjik (all premier league players, they are trying to convince Ejaria (Scotland) and Eze (championship)
We should not be trying to convince anybody, let’s try the ones we have. If the team is successful, they will come begging
Chukwueze will take Kelechi’s place for AFCON and Success will have to fight Osimhen for the sub striker.
Good points @Ashy and @BigD. I was beginning to get worried too.
And you think the coach should invite all the afford mentioned players to come and bench who. You talked as if you know it more than the coach
Tayo, it’s not necessarily to bench anyone in the first team but to provide genuine competition for places. Two players for every position.
At the moment we have one natural left back in Jamilu Collins. We have only one good number 10. An injury to Iwobi or Collins means we are scratching for a natural replacement.
The downfall of the Super Eagles over the years since we started playing at the world cup has been a lack of quality on the bench. What happened when Matuidi took out Onazi in 2014 against France? Our defence collapsed. What happened when Albertini took out Amuneke in 94 against Italy? Our Midfield became over run. Both matches we should have won.
We need the entire 23 players in the squad to be good, not just the first 11. Rohr is looking at Lookman and Ojo, why not look at our players who have served the country well at junior level and are playing at a high level in premier leagues across the world.
That we have a good team doesnt mean we relax, we have to continually improve to stay ahead of the game. Pick players who are on form, who will challenge those in the first team, so that they know that if they don’t give their best, it might be hard to get their starting spot back.
I named three attacking midfielders, there is nothing wrong in looking at all three and deciding on one and if he is good enough he can become the second attacking midfielder or if something needs changing up during a match, he can come on.
I don’t see the sense begging anybody to play for us when there are players who want to and will be the first to camp when called up.
We have had Ndidi suspended, we have had Mikel not picked, we have had Ighalo injured, if we don’t invite and test alternatives, how do we replace them when they are suspended, injured or suffer a loss of form?
Amen to that brother…
What of oshimen
Even though I remain a supporter of coach Rohr, but it is not hard to observe that he has a preference for players that were brought up abroad over does who started their career in Nigeria. He once said in Interview I watched, that the reason was because he is sure of their age. I expect the Nigerian coaches with him and his scouts and the NFF, should help him balance his choice with exceptional home grown Nigerian talents who are scattered all over the world. We need the best in the squad where ever they play whether home grown, home based or foreign bred but they should love and desire to play for Nigeria. Another observation is that he hardly calls up or plays(if he invites them) current or former home based players. The once in the team were already there before he joined, with the exception of Ezenwa who got his chance after several unfortunate circumstance, from Enyama to Ikeme, then to Akpeyi. And he took his chance when it came. But the same grace cannot be said of Eze, Odey,Lokosa, Afelokhai, who were or are still home based players when he took over. He need to be reminded that something good can and has been coming out of the Nigerian league. The likes of Ahmed Musa, Etebo, that he trusts presently are some of the current ambassadors of the NPFL. So he should give all, like Odey and co equal opportunity to show what they can do.
Players whom he has called up who were born in Nigeria:
Uzoho, Afelokhai, Collins, Kalu, Chukwueze, Onyekuru, Agu, Osimhen, Success, Simy Nwankwo – 9
Players he has called up not born in Nigeria: Semi Ajayi, Tyrone Ebuehi Bryan Idowu, Troost-Ekong -4
Players he met in Super eagles not born in Nigeria: Leon Balogun (Keshi).
The stats say that your comment “he favours players not bron in Nigeria are proved wrong by hard cold facts
*born*
I did not say he doesn’t call up players bon in Nigeria but rather he has PREFERENCE for this trained abroad, that explains why preparing for the world cup we had as much as 5 foreign grown defenders, like Ekong, Balogun, Idowu, Ebuehi,Aina with the exception of Omeruo and Abdulahi what were home grown. While the likes of Stephen Eze and Uche Agbo were mainly training materials, not giving any chance to show their worth in a friendly match. The Nigerian grown he picks are usually from age grade competition, and that is were the likes of Abdulahi, Etebo- U23, Kelechi, Osimen, Chukwueze, Uzoho. Or the likes of Kalu, Agu and Collins which you mentioned are those who left their Nigerian Accedemies very early, in their teenage ages of 17, 18 Even the Simmy Nwankwo you mentioned, what opportunity did he get before he was discarded. So I still maintain he has PREFERENCE for players that grew up abroad. The second observation is he doesn’t have plans players he met as NPFL players, no matter how they improve or where they end up. If Lokosa likes let him score 100 goals, he will not be in his plans. If they pressure him, he will invite them but not use them and then discard them. He invited Stephen Odey and even Chisom Egbuchulam when they were banging goals in NPFL and used them as training materials. Now they have moved forward in their careers still scoring in their respective clubs but he still has not considered them. I am not out to totally criticize his style, but I feel he should give all Nigerian player that deserves it equal opportunity to showcase their talents.If I am wrong name a player Rohr met as NPFL player who is in his first 23 apart from Ezenwa. Or a player who he he called up that was not previously in Super Eagles that when abroad in his 20’s or above. That is why your Chima Akas will not be considered.
I understand you a little better now. Nothing wrong with calling up former age group players, in fact it’s to be lauded.
At least he’s showing that they are not just “flash in the pan” from 2015, 2013, 2011 and 2009.
They will have benefited from the best training for longer maybe.
Chima Akas is not “my player oh lol” he’s a Nigerian player.
I guess I read your comment further down in your post “he hardly calls up or plays former or current local players (if he invites them)” the wrong way.
He cannot call up players from a league that’s not been functioning for over eight months though.
He hardly goes back to players he has tried, although he has gone back to Mikel Agu and Victor Osimhen after a year, so there is hope for Odey, Egbuchulam And Akas.
He has also said he will try out up to 50 players for AFCON to see who can supplement or improve the squad.
So it seems nobody is ruled in or out at this time.
You know what , right? I think there is a lot of logic in what Ikeben has said.
Rohr’s preference for dual nationality players, I think, is driven by his prefence for younger players coupled with his belief in the solid European system, facilities and set up that would have shaped and moulded their Football.
After all, the Geezer himself is European so it is understandable that he believes in a system that has produced multiple world cup winners.
Also, he believes in youth so much so that when he chooses to go for indigenous players, he goes for the really young ones – the Osimhens of this world.
Well, you can’t be all things to all people hence there are those of us who will scarcely be satisfied with Rohr’s ways.
But, the Geezer is doing a sterling job so that is all that matters I suppose.
Hmm, I have said a lot about coach Rohr before now, they said I hate him. I have analyzed everything about Mr. Rohr but no changes. Now, no comment.
I wish him a good outing in 2019. God bless Nigeria!!!
He calls nigerian players born abroad it’ a problem,he does not call them it’s also a problem.we should just let dis man do his job,whoever he calls should take his or her chance period.was it not u guys calling for billing to b called to d national team.or is dat one not foreign born.