Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray has expressed his delight with Nigerian forward Dapo Afolayan after his stunning strike secured a crucial 1-0 Championship victory over Bristol City at Ashton Gate, Footynaija.com reports.
The 29-year-old settled the contest with an impressive effort from outside the box, cutting inside before unleashing a 20-yard shot that beat goalkeeper Sam Tickle and found the back of the net.
Afolayan’s goal earned Rovers all three points, with Mowbray praising the forward’s quality after another important contribution to the team’s campaign.
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“Dapo has scored some great goals this season and that was another great goal that came out of nowhere, chopping inside and banging it in,” Mowbray said, as quoted by Blackburn Rovers’ official website.
“We’re delighted with Dapo and I thought everybody worked extremely hard.”
The Nigerian has enjoyed an encouraging start to the season, registering five goals and two assists in 12 appearances across all competitions for the Championship side.
His latest contribution comes just days after he opened up about his ambition to represent the Super Eagles, revealing that playing for Nigeria has been a childhood dream.
Born in London to Nigerian parents, Afolayan previously represented England at C level but remains eligible to switch his international allegiance to the three-time African champions.
The former St. Pauli forward also disclosed that he had come close to earning a Nigeria call-up during his time in Germany, only for unfortunate timing to prevent the opportunity from materialising.
After securing all three points against Bristol, Blackburn Rovers currently sit in 7th place in the EFL Championship table.
Mowbray’s men have played 10 matches, securing 15 points from a run of 4 wins, 3 draws and 3 losses. They sit right on the edge of the promotion play-off positions, trailing 6th-placed Stoke City by just one point
