Nigerian midfielder Raphael Onyedika was among the goal scorers on a thrilling night of Champions League football on Thursday.
The Nigerian scored in Club Brugge’s emphatic 4-1 victory over Monaco.
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Onyedika bundled home from close range in the 39th minute after a corner, capping a blistering 10-minute spell in which Brugge scored three times before halftime. Nicolò Tresoldi opened the scoring with a neat finish from Hans Vanaken’s through-ball, before the Nigerian midfielder doubled the advantage.
Captain Vanaken then added a third with a looping volley in the 42nd minute, sending the Belgian crowd into raptures.
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Mamadou Diakhon rounded off the win in the 75th minute, while Ansu Fati grabbed a consolation for Monaco deep into stoppage time.
For Onyedika, who managed just one Champions League goal last season, this was the perfect way to start the new campaign. Having hit the ground running on Matchday 1, he will now be eyeing a bigger tally this season as Brugge look to match or even surpass last year’s Round of 16 run.
Elsewhere, Marcus Rashford finally announced himself in Barcelona colors, scoring twice at St. James’ Park to secure a 2-1 victory over Newcastle. The England forward, who moved to Spain in the summer, has endured a slow start, but his sharp finishing proved decisive in a hard-fought contest.
In Manchester, Erling Haaland rewrote the record books. The Norwegian striker scored in City’s 2-0 win over Napoli, reaching 50 Champions League goals in just 49 matches — smashing the previous best of 62 games set by Ruud van Nistelrooy. Haaland’s strike also moved him into the top 10 all-time scorers in the competition, overtaking Alfredo Di Stéfano.
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There was disappointment for another Nigerian star, Victor Osimhen, who was sorely missed by Galatasaray in their 5-1 defeat away to Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Super Eagles forward, who suffered an injury during international duty earlier this month, was unavailable as the Turkish champions crumbled in Germany.
Without their talisman leading the line, Galatasaray looked toothless in attack and were ruthlessly punished at the other end.
Elsewhere, Bayer Leverkusen snatched a 2-2 draw at Copenhagen thanks to a stoppage-time own goal, while Sporting Lisbon impressed with a 4-1 win over debutants Kairat Almaty.
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