TheCable

In midweek fixtures across Europe, Super Eagles players ignited explosiveness and helped themselves to a handful of goals needed by their various clubs.

TheCable takes a look at Nigerian footballers who made an impact for their employers in midweek:

In Belgium, Paul Onuachu continued his impressive goalscoring form for KRC Genk in their Belgian Jupiler League clash against Royal Antwerp on Wednesday night.

Onuachu, who was adjudged the best player in the league last season, has never let accolades blunt the edges of his goal poaching instinct in the new season.

Against Antwerp, he bagged a brace to increase his tally for Genk this season to 8 goals in all competitions.

Onuachu drew first blood for the home team after a brilliant strike in the 13th minute but Antwerp replied resoundingly with four goals.

Although the Nigerian slotted home his second goal from the penalty spot with 10 minutes left to play, it was mere consolation as the away team won 4-2.

Across the Lys river, in the far south of France, Bordeaux needed a late goal from Samuel Kalu to salvage a point from their Ligue 1 goal-fest against Montpellier which ended in a 3-3 stalemate.

The goal came in the 85th minute as Kalu received the ball on the edge of the byline and turned a couple of defenders inside-out with his trademark slalom runs before smashing the ball beyond Jonas Omlin into the net.

It was the 24-year-old winger’s first goal of the season.

In England, Kelechi Iheanacho scored his 20th goal of the year as Leicester City registered a 2-0 victory over Millwall to qualify for the EFL Cup’s round of 16.

Ademola Lookman had already put the Foxes in front in the 50th minute before Iheanacho sealed the win with a piledriver that fizzed into the roof of the net after the striker had skilfully dribbled past a Millwall defender.

The goal was Iheanacho’s second of the season.