No Nigerian Player Will Feature In UEFA Champions League Quarter-finals

In a disappointing turn of events for Nigerian football players, the last remaining representative in this season’s UEFA Champions League was eliminated on Wednesday night.

Nigerian midfielder, Raphael Onyedika and his team, Club Brugge, faced a heavy 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa at Villa Park, resulting in a daunting 6-1 aggregate loss in the Champions League round of 16.

The Belgian champions found themselves in a precarious situation early in the match. Just 17 minutes in, defender Kyriani Sabbe received a straight red card for a foul on Marcus Rashford, who was racing toward the goal. This critical moment left the visitors in a dire position, trailing 3-1 from the first leg and facing an uphill battle with one less player on the pitch.

Aston Villa’s offensive prowess was on full display, spearheaded by Marco Asensio, who emerged as the star of the match.

The Spanish international, coming off the bench, made an immediate impact. He opened his account for the night just five minutes after the break, converting a powerful shot with precision after a well-placed assist from Leon Bailey.

The score soon escalated to 2-0 when Ian Maatsen found the back of the net in the 57th minute, neatly finishing a cutback from teammate Morgan Rogers.

Asensio capped off Villa’s dominant performance with his second goal in the 61st minute, effortlessly tapping in from Rashford’s perfectly weighted cross, thereby solidifying a commanding victory for Unai Emery’s side.

With this win, Aston Villa have advanced to the quarter-finals, where they will face the formidable Paris Saint-Germain.

This latest defeat marks a significant moment for Nigerian players in European football, as Onyedika’s exit signifies the final withdrawal of Nigerian talent from this year’s Champions League.

He joins a list of earlier eliminations that includes Ademola Lookman, who was unable to help Atalanta overcome Brugge in the playoff round, despite scoring within 35 seconds of coming on as a substitute.

Unfortunately, Lookman also missed a pivotal penalty, contributing to Atalanta’s 3-1 loss (5-2 on aggregate).

Similarly, Samuel Chukwueze’s AC Milan were eliminated by Feyenoord in a tightly contested match that ended in a 1-1 draw at San Siro, resulting in a 2-1 aggregate defeat.

Additionally, the duo of Victor Boniface and Nathan Tella faced a stark reality as Bayer Leverkusen fell to Bayern Munich, enduring a crushing 5-0 aggregate loss after succumbing to a 2-0 defeat in the second leg at home.

As the Champions League progresses without any Nigerian representation, it marks a significant moment in the competition, underlining a challenging season for Nigerian players on Europe’s biggest stage.

Below are the 2024-2025 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals Fixtures

Inter Milan vs Bayern Munich

PSG vs Aston Villa

Arsenal vs Real Madrid

Borussia Dortmund vs Barcelona

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