Super Eagles striker Terem Moffi scored his first Europa League goal for Porto as the Portuguese side beat VfB Stuttgart 2-1 in Germany on Thursday night, Footynaija.com reports.
Moffi had spoken at his pre-match press conference about what this move means to him and his family, making no secret of how much he needed a fresh start.
His exit from Nice in January came after months of being frozen out following a hostile incident involving the club’s own supporters after a defeat to Lorient in November.
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Porto, who had an existing option to sign him permanently for €8 million, came in, and his reunion with coach Francesco Farioli, under whom he scored 11 of his 24 goals at Nice, made the move an easy one.
Moffi’s Stuttgart moment
The goal came in the 21st minute of a confident Porto performance at the MHPArena. Spanish winger Borja Sainz played a pass into the box and Moffi controlled it, played a sharp one-two with Sainz and buried a right-footed finish past Alexander Nubel at the near post.
Stuttgart had started the brighter side, but Porto took control almost instantly after that goal. Super Eagles left back Zaidu Sanusi doubled the lead six minutes later, intercepting a pass high up the pitch, surging down the left and delivering a cross that Rodrigo Mora turned in.
Although Deniz Undav pulled one back for Stuttgart, Porto held on for a 2-1 win that puts them in a strong position ahead of the second leg at the Estadio do Dragao.
It was Moffi’s second goal in all competitions for Porto since joining in January, having already opened his account in a league win over FC Arouca. He is the fifth Nigerian to represent Porto, following Chidozie Awaziem, Mikel Agu, Abraham Marcus and Zaidu Sanusi.
Porto manager Francesco Farioli was pleased after the game, singling out the Nigerian’s contribution and the team’s collective growth.
“Terem had a great game. He was fantastic in his connections with his teammates and in his duels. He had a good understanding of the game,” the Italian said.
“It’s great to see that the team is growing. We have to turn the page and move on to the next chapter.”
