High flying English Championship side Leicester City remained top of the English Championship after a 3-2 win over Millwall yesterday, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Relegated from the English Premier League at the end of last season, they are prime for an instant return to the English top flight with the team flying really high under new coach Enzo Maresca.

The former Manchester City assistant coach has not just turn around the fortunes of the team, he has also succeeded in bringing out the other side of some players not known to many especially Nigeria international midfielder Wilfred Ndidi.

Maresca handed Ndidi a more advanced role and yesterday in the win over Millwall, he picked up his sixth assists of the season in all competitions. His highest ever tally since he turned professional in 2016.

Ndidi’s form playing higher up the pitch will no doubt put him in pole position to play the same role for the senior national team of Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations next year. He has played as a defensive midfielder for the majority of his 53 caps for the senior national team of Nigeria.

Ade Emmanuel

Nigeria international winger Samuel Chukwueze ensured that AC Milan campaign in Europe stays alive with a wonderful finish to help them beat Newcastle United 2-1 at St. James in the UEFA Champions League.

Milan were tied 1-1 and heading out of Europe as the result will see them finish bottom of their group until the Nigerian, who was signed for big money from Spanish side Villarreal was introduced with seven minutes left to play.

He curled his first touch of the game into the net to put his team in the lead for the first time, less than a minute after he was introduced. The goal ended as the winner that sent his team to the Europa League, with Newcastle United dropping out of Europe entirely.

The goal has earned him praise from the likes of former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, AC Milan legendary forward Roberto Baggio and the team’s most decorated player of all time Paolo Maldini.

Chukwueze who has been subject to heavy criticism for a slow start to life at the club will be hoping that the goal kick start a run of goals for his new side, before he departs to the camp of the Super Eagles for the Africa Cup of Nations next year.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

While all eyes were on the duo of Chidera Ejuke and Alhassan Yusuf as the two Nigerians on the pitch for Antwerp against Barcelona, not many would have expected George Ilenikhena to be the one who will decide the game in favour of the Belgians.

With scores at 2-2 following a Barcelona equalizer very late into the game, Antwerp went in search of a winner which will ensure that they don’t end the group stage without a win, and Ilenikhena was the one who emerged as the hero.

He found himself one on one with the Barcelona shot stopper Inaki Pena and he showed remarkable composure to finish the move with his first goal in the tournament, one which he won’t forget in a long time.

Signed from second division French side Amiens in the summer, the 17 year old was born in Lagos  to Nigerian parents who later migrated abroad. Meaning he is eligible for both countries.

Last season he went into the record books , when he became the first player born in 2006 to score in one of the top two leagues in England, France, Germany, Italy or Spain courtesy of a stoppage time equaliser for Amiens against Bordeaux. He was born after the retirement of legendary France star Zinedine Zidane.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

French Ligue 1 side Lens will be looking to strengthen their squad in the January transfer window with the need of getting a left back top of their priority list, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Currently sitting in seventh position on the Ligue 1 table, the club is facing a crisis at left back with   regular option Deiver Machado out with an adductor injury, which will keep him out for months.

In his absence Przemyslaw Frankowski has been the one covering that role but he is more comfortable playing on the right, the other option is Faitout Maouassa , but coach Franck Haise is not entirely satisfied with the loanee as he has only played once this season.

To that extent, he has made the signing of a left back who can operate as a wing back a must in January, and has drawn up potential signings and it includes 24 year old Nigerian defender Bruno Onyemaechi.

Although the Nigerian who plays for Portuguese side Boavista will be heading to the AFCON with Nigeria in January, the club still has him among their top options in that role according to Foot mercato.

The other player is ex-Angers left-back Souleyman Doumbia (27), who stands out due to his rapid pace down the flank and has the benefit of being a free agent.

Daniel Martins

The Nigerian youth system that produced Victor Osimhen who ended Nigeria’s over 20 years wait for a player from the country to be crowned Africa footballer of the year is no longer what it used to be, no thanks to former president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Amaju Pinnick.

Before Pinnick took over as president of the NFF, Nigeria was a force to reckon with at youth levels dominating at both continental and global level. It helped the discovery and grooming of players who made the step up to the Super Eagles.

That wasn’t the case for the eight years that Pinnick was president according to a former coach of the U17 team of Nigeria, while speaking on the condition of anonymity following Osimhen’s award as Africa Footballer of the year.

” I don’t think we will have another player like Osimhen unless Ibrahim Musa Gusau the present NFF president works his socks off like the past ones before Pinnick. The eight year under Pinnick was all about the Super Eagles”, he told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

” The team that won the tournament in 2015 during his tenure was assembled before he took over and when he did the same set of players couldn’t make it to the U20 AFCON. Of course you all know the drama that happened that made them fail despite having Osimhen, Kelechi Nwakali and co.

” That same year the U17 didn’t qualify as well. Nepotism was used in the appointment of coaches and they were appointed with no salary only bonuses, making corruption the order to the day with cash for spots. Players were camped in mosquito infested camps and not for once did Pinnick visit any of the junior teams at their camp while preparing for a tournament. He didn’t care at all”, he lamented.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The head coach of Chippa United Morgan Mammila has all but hinted that Stanley Nwabali will be heading to the Africa Cup of Nations with the senior national team of Nigeria after a visit by the head coach of the team Jose Peseiro.

Nigeria are currently having a crisis in goal and as first reported by OwnGoalNigeria.com in October, Nwabali who joined Chippa United a little over a year ago is seen by the coach of the Nigerian team as one option who could challenge present first choice goalkeeper Francis Uzoho.

Peseiro visited the club and watched the 27 year old in goal against Golden Arrows where he kept his sixth clean sheet of the season as they run out 2-0 winners. Mammila says the coach was impressed with the shot stopper’s display in the game.

“It means a lot to the entire club, having a national team coach coming to South Africa to see a player,” said Mammila after Chippa recorded their fourth league win this season against Abafana Bes’Thende.

“They had lunch, and dinner with me and had a chat with the players, it means a lot. When we were chatting, I could see that there is not that much difference (between us and Peseiro in coaching terms), the only thing is how you say it.

“Overall, I grabbed one of two things from him because when we were talking to each other you get one or two you can use in the future. What a gentleman.

“I’m happy, and he will sleep peacefully himself that at least he came to Chippa.”

He went further to claim that the goalkeeper is AFCON bound with the Super Eagles saying his fears is that top teams will snatch him from them after the tournament due to what he expects him to put up in Cote d’Ivoire next year.

“The way Stanley plays, he is in (AFCON finals squad),” said Mammila.

“I expect him to be at AFCON. The only problem is, we are going to lose Stanley. If he plays like this at AFCON, I’m telling you Stanley may not come back [from] the AFCON.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The head coach of Chippa United Morgan Mammila has all but hinted that Stanley Nwabali will be heading to the Africa Cup of Nations with the senior national team of Nigeria after a visit by the head coach of the team Jose Peseiro.

Nigeria are currently having a crisis in goal and as first reported by OwnGoalNigeria.com in October, Nwabali who joined Chippa United a little over a year ago is seen by the coach of the Nigerian team as one option who could challenge present first choice goalkeeper Francis Uzoho.

Peseiro visited the club and watched the 27 year old in goal against Golden Arrows where he kept his seventh clean sheet of the season as they run out 2-0 winners. Mammila says the coach was impressed with the shot stopper’s display in the game.

“It means a lot to the entire club, having a national team coach coming to South Africa to see a player,” said Mammila after Chippa recorded their fourth league win this season against Abafana Bes’Thende.

“They had lunch, and dinner with me and had a chat with the players, it means a lot. When we were chatting, I could see that there is not that much difference (between us and Peseiro in coaching terms), the only thing is how you say it.

“Overall, I grabbed one of two things from him because when we were talking to each other you get one or two you can use in the future. What a gentleman.

“I’m happy, and he will sleep peacefully himself that at least he came to Chippa.”

He went further to claim that the goalkeeper is AFCON bound with the Super Eagles saying his fears is that top teams will snatch him from them after the tournament due to what he expects him to put up in Cote d’Ivoire next year.

“The way Stanley plays, he is in (AFCON finals squad),” said Mammila.

“I expect him to be at AFCON. The only problem is, we are going to lose Stanley. If he plays like this at AFCON, I’m telling you Stanley may not come back [from] the AFCON.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

With the Super Eagles of Nigeria heading into next year Africa Cup of Nations with the aim of winning it for the first time in ten years, former Chelsea and Super Eagles left back Celestine Babayaro has expressed his fears about the team winning the tournament in Cote d’Ivoire.

Nigeria will go into the tournament as one of the favorites for the title owing largely to the fact that they have the most potent attackers in the continent banging goals for top teams in the top leagues in Europe.

Victor Osimhen of Napoli leads the way with Victor Boniface of Bayer Leverkusen not forgetting Terem Moffi at Nice and Sadiq Umar who his back in among the goals at LaLiga side Real Sociedad.

Despite that Babayaro says the fact that the team can’t boast of such quality in other areas will likely hamper their ambition of wanting to lift the trophy.

” You can’t win a tournament with attackers only. There is a popular cliche that attackers win you games but defenders win you titles. The current Super Eagles team is loaded in attack but light in quality elsewhere”, he told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

” From a good goalkeeper which they don’t seem to have and a lack of quality defenders and midfielders. I can tell you the team isn’t balanced enough to win in the Africa Cup of Nations. It is the painful truth that must be said”, he concluded.

Osas Mahawi

The coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro has been told to go back to pairing William Troost-Ekong and Leon Balogun in the heart of the Super Eagles defence at the Africa Cup of Nations, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Peseiro appears to have move on from the duo with the duo of Semi Ajayi and Calvin Bassey now his preferred option at centre back while Kenneth Omeruo sits on the bench as their back up.

Speaking on how Super Eagles can be effective at the AFCON former defender of the Nigerian team Taribo West says it’s about time the coach bring back the duo who achieved a whole lot together from 2016 to 2018.

” They (Ekong and Balogun) are still playing and doing well for their teams. That means they can still be useful and if you see that the players who took their spot are struggling then you know there is experience lacking.

” It’s up to the coach but from the outside where I am, going back to what has worked in the past to help you isn’t a bad idea and when you go to the AFCON you need experience. You don’t gamble at that level”, he rounded up saying in an interview monitored by the editorial team of OwnGoalNigeria.com.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Nigeria international forward Victor Osimhen celebrated his Africa footballer of the year award with his first goal in this season UEFA Champions League as Napoli ran out 2-0 winners over Portuguese side Braga.

The 24 year old picked up the best African player award yesterday in Morocco finishing ahead of the duo of Achraf Hakimi and Mohammed Salah, a reward for leading Napoli to the league title for the first time in 33 years.

He was back in action in the dead rubber UEFA Champions League clash against Braga, with Napoli already through to the knock out stage of the tournament he made use of the opportunity to score his first in this season’s tournament.

Osimhen finished off a flowing team move with a stylish finish to put his team two goals up. A result they maintained till full time to finish second behind Real Madrid who were 2-1 winners over Union Berlin in Germany.

Napoli will return back to the tournament next year with Osimhen hoping to return as champions of Africa as he will lead Nigeria into the Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire next year with the aim of winning the tournament.

Ade Emmanuel