Nigeria Content Online

England

Aiyegbeni Yakubu
(Everton): He definitely knows how to hit the spotlight as that was
exactly what he did in a 12-minute substitute appearance last Saturday
at Ewood where the Super Eagles striker scored one against Blackburn
and set up Tim Cahill’s last-minute winner.

Mikel Arteta’s
fourth-minute penalty had been cancelled out by a spectacular 30-yard
drive midway through the second half by Steven Nzonzi’s before the
introduction of the Nigeria international in the 78th minute marked a
turnaround for the Toffees.

Yakubu put Everton
2-1 up with his first touch seconds after coming on and although Jason
Roberts lashed home an equaliser two minutes late,r Cahill converted
Yakubu’s cross from close range late on to hand the Liverpool based
side a deserved victory.

The win also kept
Everton in with a chance of a late bid for a European place, moving
them to within two points of sixth-placed Liverpool, who play West Ham
later today.

Saturday’s game was
the 33rd game of the season for the former Middlesbrough striker and
his 79th minute strike marked his sixth goal of the campaign.

The game also
marked a return to first team action for Yakubu’s compatriot Victor
Anichebe who had been out of the spotlight since he picked up a knock
on March 20 in his side’s 2-0 win over Bolton Wanderers. Anichebe came
in as a second half substitute and it was the 8th game of the season
for the 21 year old (he will be 22 on April 22).

Also in action for
Everton, albeit for just a minute, was Super Eagles vice-captain Joseph
Yobo who made a 90th minute substitute appearance in place of Louis
Saha. It was also the case for Yobo three days earlier in Everton’s 2-2
draw against Aston Villa.

Dickson Etuhu
(Fulham): Combative Nigerian midfielder Etuhu was on for the entire
duration of the game as Fulham were forced to a goalless draw by
visiting Wolverhampton Wanderers at Craven Cottage. It was the 33rd
game of the season for the former Manchester City academy player in a
campaign that has seen him score twice for the Whites, the last of
which arrived on March 11 in the London based side’s 3-1 loss to
Juventus in the Europa League.

Nwankwo Kanu &
John Utaka (Portsmouth): Super Eagles captain Kanu last weekend made a
rare starting appearance for Portsmouth in their 2-1 home defeat to
Aston Villa at Fratton Park. Starting roles have been few and far in
between for the highly decorated Nigerian forward, but he will need
much more to impress potential suitors as Portsmouth gets set for life
in the English lower division next season following their relegation
from the Premier League. And with just a few games left until the end
of the season, Kanu’s chance to impress his would-be employers may
likely come at the World Cup; that is if he gets to make the Super
Eagles’ 23-man final squad list to South Africa 2010.

Equally in dire
need of playing time to impress potential suitors is Kanu’s compatriot
Utaka who featured from start to finish in the loss to Aston Villa. It
was Utaka’s 24th appearance of the campaign for Pompey but most of it
has been as a substitute. And his return of three goals won’t help the
cause of the Nigerian striker who reportedly earns around £80,000
weekly at the troubled English club.

John Obi Mikel
(Chelsea): Mikel made his 35th appearance of the season for Chelsea on
Saturday but it was a day the Nigerian midfielder would want to forget
in a hurry as he succumbed to a knock while his side slumped to a
potentially destructive defeat at the hands of city rivals Tottenham at
White Hart Lane. Mikel, along with his Chelsea buddies, started the
game with much hope but at the end of proceedings, they were defeated.
And with Manchester United right behind them on the league standings,
and with only three games to the end of the league season, any further
slip on the part of the Blues will see the title returning to Old
Trafford.

France

Taye Taiwo
(Olmpique Marseille): Taiwo shooting is a handful for opposing
goalkeepers from as far out as 30 yards. From 12 yards out, it is a
nightmare for goal minders, and that was exactly the case on Saturday
when the Lagos born defender scored from the penalty spot to hand
Marseille a 2-1 win over Boulogne as the former French champions
continued their impressive march to their first Ligue 1 title in over
16 years.

The Nigerian left
back came into the fray as a 69th minute replacement for Mammadou Niang
and went on to restore Marseille’s lead on the dot of 90 minutes to
maintain his side’s lead at the top of Ligue 1.

Mathieu Valbuena
gave Marseille the lead shortly before half-time, only for Jeremy
Blayac to equalise for the home side nine minutes from time. However,
the visitors snatched the win in the dying seconds of injury time when
Taiwo blasted home a penalty given against Yoann Lachor for handball.

Boulogne’s Nigerian
defender Olubayo Adefemi was nowhere to be found in the clash as he was
not fielded by the relegation-threatened outfit.

Germany

Chinedu Obasi
(Hoffenheim): Skillful Nigerian forward, Obasi was in action from the
start of his side’s Bundesliga tie against Borussia Dortmund but was
replaced midway through the second half as both sides settled for a 1-1
draw in the exciting tie.

It was the 19th
game of the season for Obasi who has found the back of the net five
times for the modest German club side. The last of his goals however
came in November in Hoffenheim’s 4-0 thumping of Cologne.

Obafemi Martins
(Wolfsburg): It is not for any ordinary reason that Edin Dzeko and
Grafite are the first choice strikers at Wolfsburg, and the deadly duo
proved it yet again last weekend when they each found the back of the
net for the German champions. But their goals weren’t enough to prevent
Wolfsburg from slumping to their 11th league defeat of the season.

Not even the introduction of Martins 20 minutes from the end could
prevent a home defeat for the Wolves. The game in itself was only the
15th league game of the season for Martins who has only scored six
times since his summer switch from Newcastle United.