Super Eagles players refused to slow down this weekend as Josh Maja, Dapo Afolayan and Samuel Kalu all made their mark across Europe, while Friday Etim continued to impress in Denmark.
From France to England and Bulgaria, Nigerian players are showing that they have travelled to Europe to make an impact, not simply to watch football.
Josh Maja Finally Ends Goal Drought, But Le Havre Still Suffer Defeat
Josh Maja finally opened his goal account for Le Havre, but unfortunately, his effort was not enough to prevent a 3-2 defeat to Toulouse in Ligue 1 on September 19, 2026.
Toulouse produced a strong second-half performance to turn the game around at the Stadium Municipal and claim their first league victory of the season.
Maja, the 27-year-old Nigerian striker, did more than score. He also created three chances, making him joint-highest for the entire match in that category.
It took Maja five games to finally find the back of the net since joining Le Havre as a free agent following his departure from West Bromwich Albion in the summer.
Despite scoring, Maja played 82 minutes before he was replaced by Ismail Bouneb as both teams battled for all three points.
The first half lacked much excitement, with both sides playing cautiously while a series of early yellow cards slowed the tempo. Neither team was able to break the deadlock before the interval.
Immediately after the second half began, Toulouse returned to the pitch with renewed intensity.
Casper Tengstedt opened the scoring from the penalty spot after Thomas Jørgensen was fouled inside the box.
Just two minutes later, Tengstedt struck again. This time, Jørgensen delivered an accurate cross and the striker headed the ball home to put Toulouse 2-0 ahead.
Maja later gave Le Havre hope when he pulled one goal back in the 71st minute.
However, Jørgensen refused to allow the comeback to happen. The Toulouse forward restored his team’s two-goal advantage in the 79th minute, completing an impressive individual performance that had already included a goal, an assist and winning the penalty.
Mbwana Samatta scored another for Le Havre in the 88th minute, but Toulouse held on until the final whistle to secure a 3-2 victory.
Dapo Afolayan Continues Fine Form as Blackburn Share Points with Portsmouth
Dapo Afolayan continued his impressive form as the Nigerian forward scored one goal and created another to help Blackburn Rovers draw 2-2 with Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Saturday.
The former England C international has already chosen Nigeria but is still waiting for his first Super Eagles invitation after holding talks with Nigeria Football Federation officials during the 2025 Unity Cup in London.
Against Pompey, Afolayan fired a low shot into the bottom corner in the 11th minute to level the game after Zak Swanson had put Portsmouth ahead just four minutes into the match.
Ten minutes into the second half, Afolayan turned provider. He laid the ball off for Ryoya Morishita, who remained composed before slotting it into the bottom corner to give Blackburn a 2-1 lead.
However, the three points slipped away from Blackburn. With 16 minutes remaining, Colby Bishop deflected a shot into his own net, giving Portsmouth the equaliser and making it 2-2.
Afolayan has now recorded four goal contributions in his last two Championship appearances. Last weekend, he scored twice as Blackburn defeated Millwall 3-1.
The attacker joined Blackburn from German side St. Pauli in February 2026, with his contract set to run until June 30, 2027.
For Ryan Alebiosu, the Super Eagles right-back has fully recovered from the illness that forced him off at half-time against Millwall. This time, he played the full match against Portsmouth.
Samuel Kalu Scores Twice as Botev Plovdiv Thrash Septemvri Sofia
Samuel Kalu is continuing to enjoy an impressive spell in Bulgaria as the Super Eagles winger scored twice to help Botev Plovdiv defeat 10-man Septemvri Sofia away from home on Saturday evening.
Botev were already in front before Kalu joined the action. The Nigerian then scored their second and third goals to ensure the visitors collected all three points at the Vasil Levski National Stadium.
After 10 rounds of Bulgarian First League action, Kalu has now recorded three goals and three assists in 10 competitive appearances this season.
The winger has also contributed to a goal in three consecutive games. Before this brace, he provided assists during Botev’s 3-2 win over Arda Kardzhali and their 2-0 victory against Lokomotiv Plovdiv.
That run has given him four goal contributions across those games.
Botev took the lead in the 26th minute after Alberto Salido capitalised on a defensive mistake and calmly beat the goalkeeper.
Septemvri almost equalised before half-time when Bozhidar Penchev’s free-kick struck the post, but Botev still went into the break with a 1-0 lead.
Things became even more difficult for the home side early in the second half when Edney Ribeiro received a straight red card in the 49th minute.
Botev quickly took advantage of their numerical superiority. Kalu combined well with Salido before the Nigerian doubled the lead in the 54th minute.
Twenty-one minutes later, Kalu struck again from close range after Franklin Mascote put a well-weighted pass into his path, making it 3-0.
Botev thought they had scored a fourth goal later in the match, but Mauro Rodrigues’ effort was ruled out for offside.
The victory marked Botev Plovdiv’s third consecutive win.
Friday Etim Continues to Deliver as Midtjylland Settle for Draw
In Denmark, Friday Etim also continued his impressive form, but this time his goal was not enough to give FC Midtjylland all three points against OB.
Etim opened the scoring in the round-nine clash, but Midtjylland eventually allowed OB to fight back and secure a 1-1 draw at Nature Energy Park.
After previous goals against AGF and Nordsjælland, as well as goals against Sundby BK and assists against Silkeborg and AGF, Etim has now contributed directly to a goal in five of his last six games.
During that run, the Nigerian has recorded four goals and two assists.
Overall, Etim has now reached seven goal contributions in 14 games across all competitions, with five goals and two assists.
The forward played 80 minutes before he was replaced by Mileta Rajovic.
Stanley Iheanacho also featured for Midtjylland, but he spent only the first 45 minutes on the pitch before Julius Emefile replaced him.
Midtjylland entered the second half with a numerical disadvantage after Abdou Aziz Ndiaye received a second yellow card and was sent off just before half-time.
Etim had already put them ahead less than 10 minutes into the game after finishing a move created by David Martínez.
However, OB came back stronger after the break. The hosts began to put the 10-man Midtjylland side under pressure from every angle.
Goalkeeper Elías Ólafsson made several important saves, while the woodwork also came to the visitors’ rescue on more than one occasion.
The pressure finally paid off in the 77th minute when Noah Ganaus equalised for OB.
The home side continued to push for the winning goal, but Midtjylland managed to hold on and escape with a point.
Despite having just 37 percent possession, Midtjylland survived 21 shots and nine corners from OB to leave Odense with a valuable point.
