Super Eagles striker Taiwo Awoniyi could not find his scoring boots in a sub-par performance during Nottingham Forest’s FA Cup triumph over lower league adversaries Luton Town, Soccernet.football reports.
Forest cruised to a comfortable 2-0 victory over their Championship opponents on Saturday at City Ground thanks to goals on either side of halftime from club captain Ryan Yates and Paraguayan winger Ramon Sosa.
Yates broke the deadlock in the 40th minute, heading Sosa’s perfect cross into the bottom corner of the net. Sosa then went from provider to finisher in the 68th minute after his right-footed shot from inside the box beat Luton keeper Thomas Kaminski.
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Awoniyi, who earned his place in Nuno Espirito Santo’s starting XI after coming in late on to score in the 94th minute of Forest’s 3-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League, failed to deliver during the Cup tie.
Asides his lack of goals in Saturday’s game, his overall performance was far from inspiring. In 74 minutes, the Super Eagles striker recorded 27 touches in the game, 3 touches in the opposition box and 1 pass into the final third. He also lost the most duels in the game (11).
Awoniyi has found starting opportunities hard to come by in the 2024/2025 season, with Saturday’s game marking only his third of the campaign. The Nigeria international serves as a backup striker this term, with his only goal of the season coming against Wolves last time out.
Nuno has regularly favored Forest teammate Chris Wood to lead the attack this season, and the 33-year-old has proven himself a reliable option. The New Zealand international has notched twelve goals and one assist in 20 appearances.
With Wood’s current form, it’s difficult to see Awoniyi forcing himself back into the forefront of Nuno Espirito Santo’s thinking in terms of striking options. Nevertheless, the 27-year-old Nigerian will certainly be looking to do just that as the season wears on.
