…Dessers also on target, Odey fires blank

With two weeks before action return to full swing in the European Top Five leagues, fans in Russia, Belgium, China and Finland are already being treated to some spectacular performances leaving EPL, La Liga and Serie A fans anxious about what to expect for the next seven months.

While some of the big names are yet to start making the headlines, Nigerians are already making their impact felt with Victor Moses, Cyriel Dessers on the scorers’ charts, while some of the country’s lesser-known stars have also impressed.

Victor Moses (Spartak Moscow)

The former Nigeria international continued with his fine run of form in the Russian Premier League helping Spartak Moscow defeat Krasnodar 4-1 in the Russian Premier League on Saturday.

The 31-year-old played a huge role to help Spartak pick their first victory of the season, scoring the fourth goal after goals from Roman Zobnin in the 35th minute, Quincy Promes in the 46th minute, and an own goal by defender Sergei Borodin in the 53rd minute had set them on course.

The goal was the Nigerian’s second of the season, after coming to his side’s rescue in their opening fixture of the season with an equaliser to salvage a 1-1 draw against Akhmat Grozny at Akhmat-Arena last weekend.

With just two games played in 38 matches, the former Chelsea player, while expressing his delight in scoring in two consecutive matches, is already thinking of winning the league title.

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“It is always good to get on the score sheet. I’m not that player that everyone knows to get on the score sheet every week, but I will do my best to help the team because the team comes first,” Moses said on the club’s official YouTube page after their first victory of the season.

“The only thing I can do is to add my quality to what we already had here. We will keep working hard and I’m pleased with the way I started, hopefully, I will keep the momentum going.

“When I was a kid, this is where I started before everyone started knowing Victor Moses as a right wing-back and to be honest with you, I can play in any position and I will feel comfortable there because it is all about the knowledge of the game.”

On his new position in the team, Moses, who won the 2013 AFCON with Nigeria, added, “I can read the game and this position is good for me and the manager understands that as well. The most important thing is to do what I can to help the team; it’s all about the team and how hard we are going to work from now till the end of the season because it’s not just one, two or three games.

“I want to play football at the highest level, but we just have to concentrate on the league and I don’t know if it is a big ambition for me to say we want to win the league this year. It is about the team and if we can get together as a team, and work hard, I think anything is possible.”

Onuachu, Dessers (Genk)

In a keenly contested encounter between Club Brugge and Genk at the Jan Breydel Stadium on Sunday, Dessers was on target for the Blue-White as they suffered a 3-2 defeat.

Andreas Skov Olsen’s strike gave hosts Brugge the lead after 22 minutes, but the Nigeria international restored parity just eight minutes later to open his Belgian First Division A goals account for the season, before he was substituted for Andras Nemeth in the 78th minute.

Having impressed during his loan spell at Feyenoord last term – where he emerged top scorer of the UEFA Europa Conference League – Dessers will hope to convince his parent club that he can get the job done, as he continues his career in Belgium.

His compatriot Paul Onuachu was not listed for action by Genk.

Odey, Egho, Kehinde (Randers)

In the Superliga in Denmark, Austrian forward of Nigerian descent Marvin Egho was also on target in the 75th minute as Randers came from behind to snatch a point against OB.

Bashkim Kadrii’s 25th-minute goal and a goal deep into the end of the first 45 minutes from Charly Horneman had given OB a two-goal lead before the hosts restored parity with Egho leading the charge and grabbing his first goal of the 2022/23 campaign in the 2-2 stalemate.

Meanwhile, former MFM striker and Egho’s teammate Stephen Odey was in action for 63 minutes for the Danish club but was unable to get on the score sheet before being replaced with Filip Kristensen, while another Nigerian Tosin Kehinde put up a decent display in midfield for Randers, and saw 82 minutes of action with Tobias Klysner coming on for him.

Ebuka Samson (SJK)

The 22-year-old forward helped break the deadlock in the 26th minute as SJK claimed a comfortable 3-1 win away from home over FC Lahti in the Veikkausliiga in Finland.

The Nigerian played the entire 90 minutes on Sunday, helping his side move away from the relegation zone as they now sit seventh on the log.

Kingsley Onuegbu (Qingdao Hainiu)

Onuegbu was the hero as Qingdao Hainiu moved to third on the log, beating Zibo Sunday 4-2 in China League One on Sunday.

The 36-year-old got his first goal just 10 minutes into the game, before grabbing his second in the 66th minute. He would then complete his hat-trick one minute into additional time to take his goals tally this season to five.

PUNCH