It was a day of delight and despair for Nigerian forward Emem Eduok who scored for the second consecutive game to hand his side a 1-0 win over Rizespor, but was sent off before the end of the game.

Eduok scored the only goal of the game ,that could have seen as many as three Nigerians lining up but Kenneth Otigba missed out through suspension while Obaboana was once again left on the bench by Rizespor.

The 22 year old old scored with just two minutes left to play in the first half before receiving the marching order, after picking up two bookings in the 65th and 83rd minute.

He will now be suspended for Kasimpasa next game, a situation which will end his fine run of form in front of goal and in the team after starting their last two games, and netting on both occasion.

So far he has made 10 appearances this season, raking up 590 minutes in the process in his first season in Turkey where he is on loan from Tunisian side Esperance for the rest of the season.

Manager of Manchester City Pep Guardiola has backed Nigerian forward Kelechi Iheanacho to make up for the absence of star forward Sergio Kun Aguero, who is suspended for the next four domestic games.

Iheanacho according to the manager is the only striker he has in his team right now, and he is confident that the 20 year old will embark on a goal scoring run, after getting off the mark with a goal in Aguero’s absence in the 1-1 draw against Celtic in the UEFA Champions League.

“Yeah. He (Iheanacho) is our striker – the only one I have” , he said at the pre match conference ahead of their weekend game.

“Always, he has a good sense of the goal. Of course, we need it – but we can also play other players in that position.

“He is a player that should play but we have other options in the way we can play,” Guardiola said.

Meanwhile, Iheanacho says he is ready to fill Aguero’s big boots.

“I have the responsibility now to be the main striker for the team.

“I have to replace Sergio now that he is suspended.

“I have to prove myself, work hard and give my best for the team.

“I have to also make sure I do what I can to help us win,” he said.

Iheanacho has scored three goals in nine league appearances for City this season.

Leicester City Under-23s drew 2-2 with Southampton in Monday night Premier League 2 clash, with Nigerian teen prospect Olufela Olomola scoring twice while Raul Uche was among the scorers for Leicester City.

While the nationality of Olomola is clear to the eyes due to his name and past history, same can’t be said about Raul Uche who joined Leicester City in the summer from Spanish side Rayo Vallecano.

Uche is a typical Nigerian name The name caused debate among Nigerians about his nationality after his goal yesterday. But the 18 year old is a Spaniard with no links to Nigeria at least for now.

Born in Madrid, the forward who was reportedly a target for a host of teams before joining Leicester City is currently teammate to the deputy captain of the Super Eagles Ahmed Musa.

His nationality will in the coming days become clearer, moreso if he comes out to clear the air about his nationality and connection to the Nigerian name Uche.

The fine form of on loan Arsenal midfielder Kelechi Nwakali reached a brand new height as the 18 year old scored his first professional goal to help MVV Maastricht beat De Graafschap 2-0.

Signed officially by Arsenal this summer, the Most Valuable Player of the last U-17 World Cup in Chile, is known for his goal scoring abilities during his reign as captain of the Nigeria U-17 and 20 team.

Nwakali is on a season long loan from Arsenal to the second division Dutch side, and after picking up back to back man of the match award, he crowned his performance for his loan side with a goal in the 90th minute of the 2-0 win over De Graafschap that helped them retain top spot.

He initiated a quick counter attack after a failed attack by 10 man De Graafschap, and he was on hand to finish off the move in the box of the opponent with a strike that shows his confident in front of goal.

So far he has made five appearances and has earned rare reviews for his performances, and it’s almost looking certain that he could return back to Arsenal in the summer for pre season training.

The coach of English Premier League leaders Antonio Conte has opened up on the future of captain of the Nigeria national team John Obi Mikel at Stamford Bridge.

Mikel is yet to make a single competitive appearance under the Italian, in what is his eleventh season at the club he joined as an 18 year old.

He has been linked with move away from the club, with English Premier League side Watford the latest to be linked with the 29 year old.

However Owngoalnigeria.com gathered that the possibility of moving to China is at the moment, a strong possibility than any other option been mooted by the press.

But Conte refused to be drawn into speculations about Mikel’s likely departure by insisting that the Nigerian is in his squad for now.

“Mikel is in my squad for now, at the end of this season his contract will expire but it is not right to talk now beyond that”, he said at his pre match conference ahead of this weekend game against West Brom.

The proposed international friendly between Nigeria and Egypt in January is supposed to be prosecuted by a team made of home based players, but recent scoops gathered by Owngoalnigeria.com can confirm that Al-Ahly forward Junior Ajayi could make the team.

Ajayi has settled down to life in Egypt after his big money move from Tunisian side Sfaxien shortly after the Olympics in Rio. He has found the back of the net four times in their last six games.

We gathered that the name of the 21 year old forward was proposed to the technical crew of the team last month, and they are now exploring the possibility of having him in the squad for the tie in Dubai.

” The friendly game will be prosecuted by mainly home based players, but some players plying their trade in neighboring African countries who will be on break are under consideration”, a member of the technical crew told Owngoalnigeria.com.

” For instance Junior Ajayi has been mentioned as a possible addition but coach Gernot Rohr will have the final say. The idea is to give all players eligible for Nigeria equal opportunity”.

Former manager of Aston Villa and Birmingham City Alex Mcleish has given an insight on what fans of Leicester City should expect from incoming Nigerian midfielder cum defender Wilfred Ndidi.

The 57-year-old Scot, who was in charge of the Belgians for the 2014-2015 season, told MirrorSport: “He is Kante-like.

“He will cover the ground like Kante does.“In terms of technique, you wouldn’t say he is the best passer in the world but he keeps it simple.

“I saw him on tape and at the next recruitment meeting we pushed the button. I immediately saw the speed of the boy.“We had no money to spend on any bigger names to help the first team because those were the parameters under which I took the job. But I said, ‘Let’s get this guy’, I recommended we signed him for 100,000 Euros.

“I’ve taken a big interest in the kid since and they want a fortune for him now.”

The Scot’s successor, Peter Maes, then started to play Ndidi in midfield as he matured.

McLeish added: “I gave him his debut at left-back, because we were absolutely short. He did well for a kid just coming in that day and was amazing.

“He is lean and has a fantastic spring. His speed got him out of a lot of trouble and although we lost the game 1-0 to a late Charleroi goal, we all agreed he could be a big player for the team.

“We all felt midfield would be probably be where he could be most effective. He has blossomed after my successor decided to move him there.”

“To see the progress Ndidi has made since is brilliant and he has had a great year at Genk.”