News-EPL, Serie A, La Liga - Nigerian footballers. Exclusive match reviews, recap videos and Match of the Week selections curated by My11.

Genk striker, Paul Onuachu's late strike was the only goal as the Super Eagles of Nigeria defeated the Squirrels of Benin Republic 1-0 at the Stade Charles de Gaulle.

Onuachu, who came on in the 69th minute for Kelechi Iheanacho, jumped highest in the box to head home a deflected shot from Victor Osimhen in the 93rd minute.

Naija already qualified for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, following a goalless draw between Lesotho and Sierra Leone. The win means the Super Eagles have now qualified as the group winners. Benin, on the other, need a draw from their last match to qualify.

image source: brila.net

Nigeria's Super Eagles will take on the Squirrels of Benin Republic in the 5th group game of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, and we look at the most prolific goalscorers in the squad.

Anayo Iwuala | The Enyimba forward has been one of the key figures for the Aba based club, and has scored 2 goals in 12 leagues games so far.

Victor Osimhen | The former Lille has had a torrid start to life in Italy, and has only managed 3 goals in 13 Serie A matches.

Henry Onyekuru | He kick-started his season with a move to his beloved Galatasaray, and his return has been impressive thus far, scoring 5 goals in 10 league appearances.

Kelechi Iheanacho | Senior man has put his criticisms to shame, and has stepped up to the plate for Leicester City, winning the trust of everyone. He has now scored 12 goals in 28 games in all competitions, 7 of which came in his last 4 matches.

Paul Onuachu | The lanky striker is having the season of his life, with only Robert Lewandowski scoring more than the Genk star. He has scored 27 goals in 32 games in all competitions.

who do you think Gernot Rohr should start?

image source: soccernet.ng

The ticket for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations is up for grabs as Squirrels of Benin Republic will be welcoming the Super Eagles of Nigeria to the Stade Charles de Gaulle in Porto-Novo.

There have been 15 meetings between these two nations. Benin have won just 1 game, while Nigeria have won 12 matches, with the other 2 games ending in a draw. The Super Eagles kept 10 clean sheets in those encounters.

The Beninese have their full squad and also their “non-playing captain” Stéphane Sessègnon, who is the most experienced player in the squad. Nigeria also have their full squad, after Anayo Iwuala, Adeleke Adekunle, Henry Onyekuru, and Paul Onuachu replaced Sadiq Umar, Kenneth Omeruo, Moses Simon and Samuel Kalu. Kelechi “senior man” Iheanacho joined the team on Tuesday.

Benin Republic have not lost an AFCON qualifiers match at home since 2011, and they were brilliant in the first leg at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, scoring first. The Super Eagles, on the other hand, need a win to redeem their image, following their abysmal performances against Sierra Leone. This will be a close call, but the Eagles should edge it.

image source: cafonline.com

Nigeria Super Eagles star, Kelechi Iheanacho has set a new record in England, after scoring 2 goals against Manchester United in the FA Cup over the weekend. 

His first goal came in the 24th minute of the game, after intercepting a back pass from Fred to goalkeeper Dean Henderson to score. He provided the assist for the second goal, before heading home a free-kick from Marc Albrighton in the 78th minute.

With those goals, Iheanacho is now the African with the most goals in the FA Cup with 13, beating Didier Drogba l's record of 12 goals.

Also, the 24-year-old became only the second player - after Sergio Aguero - to score 20+ goals across domestic competition since his debut in 2015.

Do you think Iheanacho should start for Nigeria? 

My11 looks at the biggest performing Nigerians in the world of football at the weekend, and below are the selected Naija superstars.

Jude Steven | Jude’s name was on the lips of every Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) follower, after his brilliant performance in Kwara United’s 5-0 thumping of Adamawa United. He scored 3 of those goals to become the first hat trick scorer this season.

Simy Nwankwo | Simy has been putting up impressive performances for the past few weeks and in Crotone’s loss over the weekend, he also got his name on the score sheet for the Italian side.

Kelechi Iheanacho | Senior man Kels, as he’s fondly called has been impressive for consecutive games, and in Leicester City’s win over Manchester United, Iheanacho put up another superb performance, scoring 2 goals and provided an assist, to help the Foxes qualify for their first FA Cup semifinal in 39 years.

Barcelona and Real Madrid stars, Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema, and Toni Kroos lead round 28 of My11’s team of the week, following superb performances for their clubs over the weekend. We will be looking at a 3-4-3 formation.

Goalkeeper:

Lorenzo Montipo | The Italian had a game he will never forget, as Benevento shocked Juventus at the Allianz Stadium, making 8 important saves to deny Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates, keeping a clean sheet after 90 minutes.

Defenders:

Serginho Dest | The right-back didn’t have much defensive work to do, as Barcelona thrashed Real Sociedad 6-1 away from home, and Dest played a vital role in the victory, scoring 2 of the 6 goals.

Jose Gaya | The Spaniard had a man-of-the-match performance in Valencia’s 2-1 win over Granada. He won 4 tackles and clearances, won 2 interceptions, aerial duels, and gave 2 key passes, one of which was an assist.

Stefan Radu | The Romanian central defender had a good attacking and defensive game. He had game-highs of 8 clearances, 5 key passes, and 2 interceptions.

Midfielder:

Toni Kroos | The German World Cup winner was in his regular form as Real Madrid beat Celta Vigo away from home. He made 2 tackles, gave 3 key passes, and provided 2 assists in the encounter.

Jesse Lingard | The Englishman’s resurgence continued at the weekend in the thrilling London derby. He scored the opening goal in the encounter and created the assist for the second goal.

Dries Mertens | The Belgian is back to his scoring form and in Napoli’s tough 2-0 win over Roma in Rome, Mertens scored the two goals in the tie, to give Naples hope of making the top 4.

Lionel Messi | The little magician was at his magical best as Barcelona thumped Real Sociedad. On his record night for most appearances for the Catalan giants, Messi scored 2 goals and provided an assist on the night.

Forward:

Adolfo Gaich | The Argentine is the heart breaker of the defending champions, Juventus, as his goal was enough for newly promoted Benevento to shock the Old Lady in Turin.

Patrick Bamford | The Englishman is beating all the odds, as he is getting better by day. In Leeds United’s 2-0 away win over Fulham, Bamford had a hand in both goals, scoring the opening goal and providing the assist for the second goal.

Karim Benzema | The Frenchman‘s form is unstoppable as he has scored in consecutive games for the Blancos since his return from injury. The Real Madrid’s 3-1 away win against Celta, Big Benz scored 2 goals and provided the assist for the last goal.

Manager:

Filippo Inzaghi | The Italian gaffer led his newly-promoted side, Benevento to pick up all 3 points away from home against his former side and defending champions Juventus. No other manager deserves this round more than him.

image source: as.com

Arsenal fought hard to earn a point as they came from 3 goals down to draw West Ham 1-1 at the new London Stadium on Sunday.

Manchester United’s on-loan star scored the opening goal with a thumping finish in the 15th minute. He then turned provider 2 minutes later after releasing a quick freekick to Jarrod Bowen, who finished past Bernd Leno. Tomas Soucek made it 3-0 after Michail Antonio’s header bounced off his leg. The Czech international scored an own goal 6 minutes later after deflecting home a shot from Alexandre Lacazette. After the hour mark, West Ham conceded another own goal following a cross from Callum Chambers and Craig Dawson lashed the ball past his goalkeeper. Lacazette then scored the leveller in the 82nd minute, heading home a cross from Nicolas Pepe.

West Ham missed the chance to go level on points with Chelsea, and they sit 5th on the log with 49 points in 29 games. Arsenal, on the other hand, moved u to 9th on the Premier League table with 42 points in 29 matches.

Do you think Arsenal can qualify for Europe next season?

video source: West Ham YouTube

Lionel Messi set the record appearance for Barcelona and he celebrated the milestone with a superb performance as the Catalan giants thumped Real Sociedad 6-1 at the Anoeta Stadium.

Antoine Griezmann scored the opening goal in the 37th minute kicking the ball into the net after Ousmane Dembele’s initial shot was saved. Sergino Dest scored the second goal in the 43rd minute. The right-back made it 3-0 in the 53rd minute. Messi got his name on the score sheet after a dink pass from Sergio Busquets. Dembele got a goal for himself, after picking up the ball from the center half and made a solo run before hitting his shot to the back of the net in the 71st minute. Ander Barrenetxea scored a mere consolation goal for the home side in the 88th minute. Messi will laugh last as he passed the ball into the net in the 89th minute to finish 6-1 for the visitors.

The game was Lionel Messi’s 768 appearance for Barcelona, making him the player with the most caps for the clubs and his return to form has helped the Catalan giants in their hunt to win the La Liga as they sit 4 points behind leaders Atletico Madrid. Real Sociedad failed to close the gap and they sit 5th on the log, 10 points behind Sevilla.

Do you think Barcelona can still win La Liga?

video source: La Liga YouTube

Naija Super Eagles Star, Victor Osimhen was a second-half substitute as Napoli defeated Roma 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday night.

Dries Mertens scored the opening goal for Napoli in the 27th minute with a lovely freekick at the edge of the box. Mertens made it 2-0 in the 34th minute following a break from the away side and Matteo Politano headed down the ball for the Belgian, who headed home the ball.

Napoli moved up to 5th on the log with that win and are just 2 points behind Atalanta and Juventus. Roma, on the other hand, dropped to 6th on the Serie A table and are one point ahead of city rivals, Lazio, who have a game in hand.

Do you think Osimhen and Napoli can finish in the top 4?

video source: Serie A YouTube

It’s another London derby for Arsenal, as the Gunners will be going away to face West Ham United in the new London Stadium. Mikel Arteta will hope to build on the derby win over Tottenham Hotspur.

In 49 Premier League meetings between these two teams, West Ham have won 8 games, while Arsenal have won 32 matches, with the other 9 games ending in a draw.

West Ham will be without Pablo Fornals, Darren Randolph, Angelo Ogbonna, Andriy Yarmolenko, and Arthur Masuaku due to injury, while Ryan Fredericks is a major doubt. Arsenal, on the other hand, will be without only Bukayo Saka, who is suffering from a hamstring injury.

West Ham are on a good run of form, and they are chasing European football, while Arsenal have been inconsistent, and they want to play in Europe too. This will be a close call, and the home side may just edge it with a narrow win.

You can catch the game live on DSTV channel 203, SuperSport Premier League on Sunday, March 21 2021, by 4 pm Naija time.