Naija Stars Abroad: A weekend of heroes and heartbreak — Iwobi shines, Ndidi inspires, but Osimhen's absence haunts club

It was a weekend of contrasting emotions for Nigeria's footballers across Europe. Some made headlines for all the right reasons.

One made headlines for the wrong ones. And one simply made everyone stop and reflect on what football means beyond the ninety minutes.

Here is how Naija Stars Abroad fared at the weekend.

Alex Iwobi was the story of the weekend in England. The Super Eagles midfielder delivered a goal and an assist as Fulham dismantled Sunderland away from home.

It was a performance that underlined his growing importance to Marco Silva's side at a critical stage of the season.

Equally significant was the return of Calvin Bassey to the starting XI. The AFCON 2025 star, who had been frustratingly frozen out in recent weeks, seized his opportunity and won a penalty in the process.

After the questions that had been asked about his place in Fulham's plans, Bassey gave his manager the clearest possible answer.

Ademola Lookman continued his sensational start to life in Spain, netting his first LaLiga goal as Atletico Madrid swept Espanyol aside 4-2 at the Wanda Metropolitano.

The strike was his fourth goal in six appearances for the Rojiblancos in all competitions, matching the best goalscoring start by any Atletico player since Luis Suarez in the 2020/21 season.

After two matches without a contribution, the critics have been silenced. Lookman has arrived in LaLiga.

The weekend's most powerful story did not come from a goal or an assist. It came from Wilfred Ndidi, who moved from burying his father to a hospital bed and then back to the football pitch, and scored for Besiktas in a 4-0 win over Goztepe.

There are no words adequate for that kind of resilience. Some performances mean more than football. This was one of them.

Paul Onuachu was not at his most prolific on Saturday, but when it mattered most, he delivered. The towering striker reacted quickest to a blocked shot in the 27th minute, firing low past the goalkeeper to give Trabzonspor the lead in what became a 2-1 away victory against Gaziantep.

It was a quiet afternoon by Onuachu's standards, just two attempts on goal, but the decisive striker's instinct that has defined his career was present when Trabzonspor needed it most.

Andre Onana also played a vital role in goal, making six saves to preserve the win.

In Spain, Akor Adams produced a moment of genuine quality to help Sevilla grind out a 1-0 win over Getafe at the Coliseum.

With the hosts reduced to ten men from the 26th minute, Adams received a long pass inside the penalty area and, under pressure, produced a clever flick to set up Djibril Sow for the only goal of the game in the 64th minute.

Fellow Nigerian Chidera Ejuke also featured and came agonisingly close to scoring in the 78th minute, only to see a fine individual effort curl agonisingly wide of the post.

Ultimately it was Adams' creativity that proved decisive for Los Nervionenses.

It was a difficult afternoon for Tolu Arokodare. The Wolverhampton Wanderers striker missed two clear chances in the first half hour against Crystal Palace before being handed a golden opportunity to redeem himself from the penalty spot in the 43rd minute.

Dean Henderson saved it. In the 90th minute, Evann Guessand scored the only goal of the game for Palace.

Football can be a cruel sport, and Saturday at Selhurst Park was a reminder of exactly that. Arokodare will need to bounce back quickly.

Frank Onyeka was simply the best player on the pitch as Coventry City won 2-0 at West Brom, earning the man of the match award in just his second appearance for Frank Lampard's side.

The Super Eagles midfielder was dominant, winning duels, breaking up play, and starting the move that led to the opening goal inside five minutes. Coventry's fans have already written him a chant. After that display, it is easy to understand why.

In the Championship, Bright Osayi-Samuel delivered his first assist of the season as Birmingham City won 2-1 away at Norwich, a result that keeps the Blues firmly in the promotion conversation.

It was a composed and confident performance from the winger, who has been growing into the season steadily.

In Ligue 2, Chidozie Awaziem was commanding at the back as Nantes kept a clean sheet in a 2-0 win over Le Havre, a result that will do the defender's confidence a world of good.

Moses Simon, meanwhile, came off the bench in the 85th minute for Paris FC as they drew 1-1 with Toulouse. Limited time, but he is back in the picture.

Across all of it, the goals, the assists, the emotional moments, the weekend's biggest Nigerian story remained the one player who did not feature at all.

Victor Osimhen's absence from Galatasaray's squad cost his side dearly, as they fell to a shocking 2-0 defeat against a Konyaspor side that had not won in twelve games.

The title race has been blown open. The King of Istanbul is needed back and quickly.