Related Post
Nigerian stars Alex Iwobi and Umar Sadiq both delivered impressive performances on Tuesday night, but their contributions led to contrasting outcomes for their respective clubs, Soccernet.football reports.
Iwobi’s brace in vain as Fulham fall to West Ham
Alex Iwobi scored twice for Fulham, but his efforts could not prevent a 3-2 defeat against West Ham in an electrifying London derby at the London Stadium.
Fulham arrived in fine form, boasting an eight-match unbeaten run in the Premier League. West Ham, however, entered the fixture under pressure, eager to end their three-game losing streak and make a positive start under new manager Graham Potter in his first home match.
The visitors dominated the early exchanges, but West Ham benefited from a couple of Fulham errors to race into a 2-0 lead courtesy of goals from Carlos Soler and Tomas Soucek.
Fulham responded strongly in the second half, with Iwobi pulling one back in the 51st minute with his curling cross evading everyone before landing in the net.
West Ham capitalised on another Fulham defensive lapse when Lucas Paquetá intercepted a poor pass from goalkeeper Bernd Leno, restoring their two-goal advantage.
Fulham, however, refused to fold, and Iwobi struck again late in the game after a precise carbon copy of his early cross-cum-shot.
Iwobi’s brace takes him to 12 Premier League goals for Fulham, the most he has managed for any club. The Super Eagles playmaker had 11 EPL goals for Arsenal and six for Everton.
Despite Fulham’s late push, West Ham held firm to secure a vital victory, climbing to 12th in the table with 26 points from 21 games. Fulham, now in 9th with 30 points, will look to regroup when they face Leicester on Saturday.
Sadiq scores first Valencia goal in Copa del Rey win
In Spain, Sadiq Umar celebrated his first goal for Valencia as the La Liga side eased past Ourense with a 2-0 victory to book their place in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals.
Sadiq, on loan from Real Sociedad, made his first start for Valencia after limited appearances since his arrival. After a frustrating first half, Valencia finally broke the deadlock in the 50th minute through an own goal by Fran Carmona.
Sadiq doubled Valencia’s advantage in the 78th minute with a moment of brilliance, cutting inside after a pass from Sergi Canos and firing a sublime effort into the top corner.
Valencia, unbeaten in three matches under new head coach Carlos Corberán, will now turn their attention to La Liga, where they face Sadiq’s parent club Real Sociedad.
The Nigerian forward’s performance will give Corberán food for thought as Valencia aim to climb the league standings.
