Super Eagles stars Chibuike Nwaiwu and Paul Onuachu scored for Trabzonspor as they claimed a historic 2-1 win over Galatasaray on Saturday, Soccernet.ng reports.
Galatasaray traveled to Papara Park for their top-of-the-table clash against the Black Sea Storm. The game was of high significance, as a loss for either side held dire consequences for their title aspirations.
Both teams feature top Super Eagles players on their rosters, with Victor Osimhen on Galatasaray’s books, while Onuachu and Nwaiwu represent Trabzonspor. However, Osimhen was not named in the lineup due to a hand injury.
Although the Cimbom were the slight favorites heading into the game due to their dominance in previous fixtures, Trabzonspor held the home advantage. Their nearly 40,000 fans at Papara Park were sure to give the league leaders hell.
It took less than four minutes for Trabzonspor to take the lead through Onuachu, who scored his 22nd goal of the campaign.
The striker showcased his aerial prowess, getting on the end of a cross from Wagner Pina to send a header past the goalkeeper and into the net.
That goal sparked a barrage of attacks from Galatasaray as they fought for an equalizer. However, they were not at their prolific best in the absence of their talisman, Osimhen.
Anthony Nwakaeme, who looked sharp throughout the night, had a sight of goal in the 26th minute, letting fly with a shot from the left side of the box that went excruciatingly wide.
In the 45th minute, Onuachu thought he had doubled his side’s lead after putting the ball in the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside before he could even celebrate. Hence, Trabzonspor took a slim lead into the break.
In the second half, however, Galatasaray equalized courtesy of Wilfried Singo, who converted a fine pass from close range to make it 1-1.
Both sides kept pushing, but it was Trabzonspor who found the winner through another Super Eagles star, Nwaiwu. He peeled off his marker to meet a cross from an Nwakaeme free-kick, sending a header into the net to make it 2-1 in the 62nd minute.
After regaining the lead, Trabzonspor had to withstand an onslaught from Galatasaray. Nwaiwu was seriously tested defensively for the remainder of the night, but eventually, Trabzonspor held on to secure the 2-1 victory.
Super Eagles Stars Shine
The three Nigerian stars who were in action on the night performed exceptionally well. Asides from his goal, Onuachu recorded 34 touches, won two fouls, and added two defensive contributions. His goal at 3 minutes 16 seconds was the earliest conceded by Galatasaray this season.
Nwaiwu was simply massive, as he recorded 15 defensive contributions, 56 passes, and was only dribbled past once.
Significance of Trabzonspor’s Win Over Galatasaray
Trabzonspor’s victory over Galatasaray was their first at Papara Park since 2018. Before this game, they had lost seven of their last nine meetings against the Cimbom.
What the result does for the Super Lig table is that Trabzonspor climb up to second, three points ahead of Fenerbahce, who have a game in hand.
Nonetheless, they are one point behind Galatasaray, who sit at the summit of the league with one game in hand.
The result throws the Super Lig title race open for Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, and Trabzonspor. Crucially, Fenerbahce will still play Galatasaray at the end of the month.
So if Trabzonspor keep winning games, they might just steal the league, in what would he a historic feat for their Super Eagles stars.
