Outstanding five: Lokosa, Sadiq get top marks over the weekend

The Chinese Super League began over the weekend but the Nigerian contingents were not impressive in the first matchday. In other centres around the world, some Nigerian players shone brilliantly.  Here are five of them that were outstanding over the weekend:

Junior Lokosa

Photo: Npfl.ng

Lokosa’s brilliance in front of goal earned him his 10^th goal of the season. The League’s highest goal scorer has been turning heads in Kano and all over the nation with his prolificacy in front of goal, Over the weekend at the Sani Abacha stadium, the former First Bank player was on the score-sheet after missing a penalty in the 29^th minute against Go Round FC.

David Obiwo had bundled over the forward prompting Referee Nura Abubakar to point to the spot. Lokosa couldn’t hold his nerve as his effort was saved by the goalkeeper. He did eventually get on the scorer’s sheet afterward, rippling the net from Salisu Mustapha’s assist. Lokosa, with 10 goals in 11 games is on course to break the NPFL record of 24 goals in a season if he keeps his current momentum.

The referee did eventually award a penalty to the 21-year old when Brad Jones pushed him over, Sadiq cooly slotted the ball into the net to get his third goal in his fifth appearance for the club he move to during the winter break.

Umar Sadiq

PHOTO: Twitter/Paolo Fernandes_

Sadiq was full of running, offering himself as an outlet in attack against Feyenoord. Just four seconds into the game, the Roma loanee pressured an opponent in to turning the ball over. Sadiq mopped the ball, raced towards goal before he was scythed down while dribbling a defender. Minutes later, he was racing in behind the defence onto a lofted ball from deep, some referees would have given a penalty as goalkeeper, Brad Jones clattered into the striker but it wasn’t given. For NAC Breda’s equalizer he was stretching his spindly, willowy legs in a foot race with the ball, he dribbled a covering defender inside out before trying to shift the ball beyond the reach of  Jones. Jones got a faint touch to move the ball off Sadiq’s foot but Thierry Ambrose was well placed to sweep home the loose ball.

Sadiq earned a penalty afterwards; the goalkeeper pushed the 21-year old over and the referee awarded a penalty. The forward coolly slotted the penalty into the net to score his third goal in five appearances for the team he joined in the winter transfer window.

Chico Ofoedu

Ofoedu scored a brace to hit double figures in goals in the Turkish 1.Lig. His first goal was a brilliant curler that brought Eskişehirspor back into the game after Adana Demirspor had gone ahead by a goal. The former Enugu Rangers forward at the edge of the box shifted the ball with his right foot to line up the shot before he curled the ball into the top corner. In the 47^th minute, Ofoedu put his team ahead  with a strong low shot. Ofoedu had a one-two with his teammate before firing low and hard with his right-foot past the goalkeeper. Ofoedu has 11 goals in 23 appearances in the second division of the Turkish football league system.

Joseph Akpala

It’s four in seven for Akpala in the Belgian League. Joseph Akpala scored one of the goals in the five goal thriller that had Simon Moses, Samuel Kalu playing for Gent. Akpala scored an improvised back heeled flick to put Oostende 2-0 up before Gent roared back to equalize. Oostende eventual won the game 3-2 to climb to 10^th on the Jupiler League table.

Kalu Uche

The peripatetic footballer currently nestled at far-east India bagged a brace for his side, Delhi Dynamos. The former Almeria forward has 11 goals in his last eight games in the relatively less competitive league. Dehli Dynamos are currently eighth on the ten team Indian Super League with Bengaluru  leading the pack.