Super Eagles stars Kelechi Iheanacho and Rafiu Durosinmi were at the heart of two thrilling matches across Europe on Sunday, with one inspiring a crucial win and the other delivering late drama in a fierce draw.
Both forwards showed why they remain central to their clubs’ ambitions this season.
Iheanacho ends VAR frustration to inspire Celtic victory
Kelechi Iheanacho finally broke free of his recent VAR frustrations to open the scoring in Celtic’s hard-fought 3-2 win over Motherwell at Celtic Park in the Scottish Premiership.
The 29-year-old Nigerian striker, denied goals by VAR in his last two outings against Hibernian and Braga, stepped up to the spot in the 26th minute after a VAR review confirmed a handball.
With trademark composure, Iheanacho paused in his run-up before calmly sending the goalkeeper the wrong way, sparking jubilation among the home fans.
Motherwell responded swiftly as Apostolos Stamatelopoulos levelled with a powerful header before halftime and then gave the visitors a 2-1 lead with a penalty just 10 minutes into the second half.
Celtic clawed back through Benjamin Nygren’s opportunistic strike after a defensive lapse in the 59th minute.
In the 78th minute, Iheanacho made way for Michel-Ange Balikwisha, who proved to be the hero in stoppage time, combining brilliantly with Daizen Maeda to slot home the winner.
The victory was a huge relief for Celtic, ending a three-game winless run that had included two draws and a defeat.
With 17 points, they closed the gap on second-placed Hearts to just two points.
Celtic will next face Dundee FC in the league before turning their attention back to Europa League action against Sturm Graz.
Iheanacho’s goal was his third of the season across all competitions, alongside one assist in five appearances for the Brendan Rodgers side.
Durosinmi’s redemption shines in Plzen’s six-goal thriller
In the Czech Republic, Rafiu Durosinmi endured a rollercoaster evening but still left his mark in Viktoria Plzen’s hard-fought 3-3 draw with Hradec Kralove at the Doosan Aréna.
The 22-year-old forward scored his fourth league goal of the season—and his ninth in 17 games—redeeming himself after a frustrating evening that saw him miss a penalty and hit the woodwork.
Plzen trailed early after Ondrej Mihalik’s 12th-minute opener for Hradec, but Prince Adu levelled on the stroke of halftime.
Veteran winger Vaclav Pilar restored Hradec’s lead five minutes into the second half before Durosinmi’s missed penalty threatened to haunt the hosts.
The game turned in Plzen’s favour after Hradec’s Tomas Petrasek was sent off in the 66th minute.
Durosinmi pounced in the 88th minute to make it 2-2, and just a minute later, Adu scored again to send the home crowd into celebration.
However, the visitors snatched a point deep into stoppage time through Jakub Kucera, leaving Plzen frustrated despite their late comeback.
Durosinmi, who won the most duels (8) on the night, has now scored in back-to-back games.
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