Tochukwu Nnadi and Ibrahim Olawoyin delivered timely reminders of their quality in Europe on Sunday, just as the Super Eagles begin gathering in Uyo for Friday’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania.
Nnadi and Olawoyin could hardly have had more contrasting weekends in one sense: one is firmly in Eric Chelle’s plans and the other was left out of them. Yet both produced the kind of performance that makes a coach take notice, with Nnadi running Marseille’s midfield in a 2-1 win at Lens and Olawoyin setting up the goal that ended Rizespor’s six-match winless run.
Nnadi and Olawoyin: Marseille’s midfield metronome at Lens
Nnadi started alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at the heart of Marseille’s midfield at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, and the Nigerian barely put a foot wrong. He completed 53 of his 54 passes, won 10 of his 13 duels and drew six fouls as Roberto De Zerbi’s side made it five straight Ligue 1 wins.
Amine Gouiri gave the visitors a second-minute lead before Florian Thauvin levelled against his former club in the 20th minute. The game looked destined for a draw until substitute Keyliane Abdallah struck in the 82nd minute to send Marseille fourth in the table.
Nnadi played all but the final minute, replaced by Geoffrey Kondogbia in the 90th minute after another mature display. It was his seventh league appearance of the season, and his fourth start, with 408 minutes now under his belt in France’s top flight.
The timing could hardly be better. Nnadi is in Chelle’s 24-man squad for the Tanzania double-header, and he will report to camp in Uyo carrying the momentum of a fifth consecutive league win with a Marseille side firmly in the Champions League places.
Olawoyin’s assist ends Rizespor’s six-game wait
In Turkey, Olawoyin produced a midfield masterclass of his own as Caykur Rizespor beat Erzurumspor 2-1 at the Caykur Didi Stadium. The 28-year-old set up Ali Sowe for the opening goal in the 31st minute, created three chances, completed 84 per cent of his passes and made seven ball recoveries in a full 90-minute display.
Sowe’s second goal, in the 66th minute, sealed a first home league win of the season for Rizespor and lifted them to 11th in the Super Lig table. Ibrahim Diabate had briefly levelled for the visitors in the 37th minute, but the home side held firm for three badly needed points.
The assist was Olawoyin’s first of the league season, and it came with an extra edge: Scottish-Nigerian winger Adedire Mebude, who is eligible for Nigeria, supplied the assist for Sowe’s winner.
Olawoyin was not included in Chelle’s 24-man squad despite his form, and this performance will only sharpen the questions around that call. Rizespor had gone six league games without a win before Sunday, and their Nigerian playmaker was at the centre of the turnaround.
What it means for Chelle and Tanzania
Nigeria’s players report to camp in Uyo today, with the first training session scheduled for Tuesday at the practice pitch of the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium. The Super Eagles host Tanzania on Friday, 13 November, before the return leg in Zanzibar on Tuesday, 17 November.
Nnadi arrives as a player in form and in favour, while Olawoyin’s omission looks harder to defend with every passing week. They were not the only Nigerians to shine on Sunday either: Tolu Arokodare matched Patrick Kluivert’s 32-year-old Ajax record in the 2-2 draw at Twente, while Cyriel Dessers reached 10 goals for the season in Panathinaikos’ comeback win.
For more on the qualifiers, check today’s predictions.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0, Nobert Okoli) — collage by SportsBuddy.
