Naija Stars Abroad: Osimhen back with a bang, Iwobi dazzles, Simon and Durosinmi on fire

Nigerian players abroad delivered impressive performances over the weekend, with Victor Osimhen marking his return with a goal, Alex Iwobi impressing in midfield, and Moses Simon and Rafiu Durosinmi scoring for their clubs.

Osimhen made a strong start to the season as he scored in Galatasaray’s emphatic away league victory. 

Starting his first game for the Lions since his permanent transfer, Osimhen waited until late in the match to open his account for the campaign, signalling a promising return.

In the Premier League, Alex Iwobi was named man of the match after contributing his first goal involvement of the season. Meanwhile, Calvin Bassey also stood out as Fulham secured a hard-fought draw against Manchester United at Craven Cottage.

Brentford, led by Frank Onyeka, nicknamed “Frank the Tank”,—claimed their first Premier League win of the season on home turf, beating Aston Villa. Onyeka came off the bench to make an impact during a 22-minute cameo for the Bees.

In the French Ligue 1, Terem Moffi scored for Nice in their victory over Gabriel Osho’s Auxerre. 

The goal was a historic milestone for Moffi, marking his first of the season and bringing him closer to Nigerian legends John Utaka and Victor Ikpeba in terms of Ligue 1 goal records.

Moses Simon also opened his scoring account in Ligue 1 for Paris FC, though his team suffered a heavy defeat at Marseille. 

Simon, who moved from Nantes to Paris FC in the summer, showed his quality despite the loss.

At AC Milan, Samuel Chukwueze came off the bench for 26 minutes in a surprising 2-1 home defeat to Cremonese, a team featuring fellow Nigerian David Okereke.

Lazio’s trip to Como turned into a nightmare as they fell 2-0 away. Fisayo Dele-Bashiru featured for 75 minutes, demonstrating impressive passing accuracy (93%), while winning four tackles, making an interception, and three recoveries, but it wasn’t enough to secure points.

Meanwhile, the German Bundesliga season got off to a disappointing start for Nathan Tella and Bayer Leverkusen, who suffered a home defeat to Hoffenheim despite the visitors being without Nigerian forward Gift Orban.

And in the Czech Republic, while he was ignored again by Eric Chelle in his latest Super Eagles squad for the upcoming 2026 FIFA WCQ, Durosinmi will not stop scoring.

The 22-year-old was on target again, scoring the opener in Viktoria Plzen’s 2-1 win at home against Karvina. It was Duro’s second goal of the season.

Overall, Nigerian stars across Europe have shown their quality early in the season, with several key players contributing decisively for their clubs.