Osimhen’s Brace Rescue Point for Napoli at Leicester, Ndidi Sees Red

EUROPA LEAGUE

*Onuachu wins for Genk, Balogun, Aribo in action as Rangers fall at home

Femi Solaja

Super Eagles forward, Victor Osimhen was the hero of the night as his brace rescued Napoli from the jaw of defeat at the King Power Stadium where they secure valuable 2-2 draw against former Premiership Champions, Leicester City.

Nigeria’s midfield strongman, Wilfred Ndidi got sent off for a second booked infraction on a night the Foxes squandered a two-goal lead.

The attacking duo of Kelechi Iheanacho and Paston Daka started well but Leicester gave up the two-goal lead as Osimhen double secured the well-earned draw for Napoli in yesterday’s Europa League opener.

Leicester began the night brightly, and after Harvey Barnes came close to netting an early goal, Ayoze Perez did manage to find the back of the net, thundering home from a cross inside the first ten minutes.

With the defeat, Legia Warsaw are top of the group on three points with both Napoli and Leicester on one apiece. Legia won 1-0 at Spartak Moscow yesterday thanks to Lirim Kastrati’s injury-time strike.

The Foxes go to Legia on Thursday, 30 September for their second game of the group.

Elsewhere, another Super Eagles forward, Paul Onuachu, scored the lone winning goal in added time as Belgian side Genk secured a 1-0 away victory at Austrian club Rapid Vienna in their Europa League clash at the Allianz Stadion last night.

Onuachu scored in the 92nd minute after he was set up by Junya Ito to hand the Belgian Pro League side all three points in the Group H encounter.

Nigerian-born forward Ike Ugbo was unused substitute for the Smurfs in the game.

The story was however a sour one for Nigerian duo of Leon Balogun and Joe Aribo who played all 90 minutes as Glasgow Rangers lost 0-2 at home to visiting Lyon.

Karl Toko Ekambi scored the winning goal in the 23rd minutes to earn the French team all three valuable away points in Scotland.

At the RZD Arena, substitute Faustino Anjorin was on target in Locomotiv Moscow’s 1-1 home draw against French club Olympic Marseille.

Cengiz Under’s own goal put Marseille in front a minute before the hour mark.

Anjorin, who replaced Rifat Zhemaletdinov in the 63rd minute equalised for the hosts a minute from time to save the Russian club’s blushes.

In another Group H encounter played at the MCH Arena, Raphael Onyedika put up a fine performance in Midtylland’s 1-1 home draw against Bulgarian club Ludogorets. Onyedika, who was in action for 90 minutes in the game was cautioned in the 85th minute.

English Premier League side, Tottenham came from behind to draw 2-2 their Europa Conference League opener at Rennes.

RESULTS

Leicester 2-2 Napoli

Galatasaray 1-0 Lazio

L’Moscow 1-1 Marseille

Midtjylland 1-1 Ludogorets

Zbvezda 2-1 SC Braga

Leverkusen 2-1 Ferencvaros

R’Betis 4-3 Celtic

D’Zagreb 0-2 West Ham

R’ Vienna 0-1 Genk

HJK 0-2 LASK