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Nigerian forward Rafiu Durosinmi ended a nightmarish 18-month wait for a goal with a brilliant brace for Viktoria Plzen in their 2-0 win over Teplice on Sunday, Footynaija.com reports.
The 22-year-old struck twice at the AGC Aréna Na Stínadlech to hand Viktoria Plzen a crucial Czech Liga victory on matchday 22.
Durosinmi broke the deadlock in the 42nd minute, latching onto a Pavel Sulc pass to finish off a swift counterattack. Just three minutes later, he combined well with Jiří Panos before drilling a right-footed shot past the goalkeeper, doubling his side’s advantage.
The goals marked a significant milestone for Durosinmi, who endured a frustrating year sidelined by injury. The Nigerian suffered a knee injury in October 2023 — an ill-timed setback that derailed his planned move to Bundesliga side Stuttgart in January 2024.
Viktoria Plzen had already agreed on a deal with the German club, but when it became clear that Durosinmi’s recovery would take longer than expected, Stuttgart pulled out, leaving the young striker in limbo.
Despite the setback, Viktoria Plzen remained committed to Durosinmi’s rehabilitation, standing by him throughout his recovery.
Earlier this year, he returned to full fitness, with manager Miroslav Koubek easing him back into action. He played 20 minutes against Sigma Olomouc and another 24 minutes against Slovan Liberec before earning his first start in over a year against Teplice.
And Durosinmi made the most of it, delivering a match-winning performance before being substituted in the 76th minute. His goals came 505 days after he last found the net for Viktoria Plzen in a 2-1 defeat to Sparta Prague on September 30, 2023.
The victory keeps Viktoria Plzen second in the table, three points clear of third-placed Sparta Prague but still seven points behind leaders Slavia Prague.
Durosinmi will now look to carry his scoring form into Viktoria Plzen’s UEFA Europa League playoff second leg against Ferencváros, with the Czech side needing to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit from Hungary.
