Naija Stars Abroad: Onuachu breaks record, Osimhen scores again, Maja ends 5-month drought in busy weekend for Super Eagles

From the Turkish Super Lig to the English Championship and the French Ligue 1, it was a weekend to remember for Nigerian footballers in Europe.

Records were broken, long waits ended, and milestones were reached. Here is a full breakdown of how Nigeria's stars performed across the continent.

• 9/10

Paul Onuachu is rewriting Trabzonspor's history books one game at a time. The Super Eagles striker scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Caykur Rizespor on Saturday, netting in his 10th consecutive Super Lig match - a record that stands alone in the club's history.

The goal came six minutes after half-time, with Onuachu calmly converting a precise cut-back from Oleksandr Zubkov from close range. It was his 21st league goal of the season, keeping him top of the Super Lig scoring charts. Across all competitions, he now has 23 goals in 26 appearances.

The win was an emotional one for Trabzonspor, dedicated to assistant coach Orhan Kaynak who passed away earlier in the week. Onuachu also became the club's third highest-scoring foreign player of all time with his 40th goal for the club, behind only Shota Arveladze (85) and fellow Nigerian Anthony Nwakaeme (51).

With nine games remaining and needing five more goals to break Arveladze's single-season record of 25, Onuachu is well on course to make further history before the season ends.

• 8/10

Victor Osimhen continued his relentless form with a goal in Galatasaray's 3-0 win over İstanbul Basaksehir, extending the league leaders' advantage at the top of the Süper Lig. He scored in the 66th minute and set up substitute Yunus Akgün for the third goal.

The Super Eagles striker also came within inches of a spectacular bicycle kick goal in the first half, his effort rattling the crossbar before being cleared. He was substituted in the 75th minute as manager Okan Buruk carefully managed his workload ahead of Wednesday's Champions League second leg against Liverpool at Anfield.

Osimhen now has 12 league goals for the season and carries a 1-0 aggregate lead into the Anfield second leg.

• 8/10

Ola Aina was the standout Nigerian performer in a goalless draw at the City Ground, producing what many described as the performance of the match. His 58th-minute strike from the edge of the box was the closest either side came to scoring, the ball crashing off the crossbar in what would have been a strong contender for goal of the season.

Aina also made a crucial goal-saving block late in the game to deny Fulham, completing a two-way display of considerable quality. The draw lifted Forest out of the relegation zone on goal difference.

• 6–7/10

Calvin Bassey was a solid presence in the Fulham defence, nearly opening the scoring in the 19th minute with a powerful header from an Alex Iwobi delivery. The centre-back was disciplined throughout, completing 90 minutes in a match Fulham will feel they should have won given their superior head-to-head record against Forest.

Alex Iwobi dropped deep to dictate play from midfield, providing the delivery for Bassey's header and showing his usual composure on the ball. Both players were unable to break the deadlock despite a promising second-half showing.

• 6/10

Awoniyi came off the bench in the 62nd minute and injected urgency into Forest's attack. He came agonisingly close to a late winner in the 88th minute, finding space in behind the Fulham defence before dragging his shot just wide of the far post. A goal would have been fully deserved for his impact as a substitute.

• Comeback Story

Josh Maja's wait is finally over. The Super Eagles striker ended a painful 25-game league goal drought by opening the scoring in West Brom's emphatic 3-0 win over Hull City at The Hawthorns - their first league victory of 2026 and first in 14 Championship matches.

Maja turned in a Jed Wallace cross in the 25th minute to break the deadlock, his first league goal since West Brom's win over Swansea City in November 2025. The breakthrough came after a Hull goalkeeper error gifted Wallace possession near halfway, and Maja showed the composure of a striker who had been waiting patiently for his moment.

The win, helped by Hull defender Charlie Hughes' first-half red card, moved West Brom out of the Championship relegation zone. Maja left the pitch to a standing ovation from The Hawthorns crowd.

• Historic

Moses Simon reached a landmark personal milestone on Sunday, becoming only the second Nigerian footballer in history to make 200 appearances in the French Ligue 1. The Paris FC winger, who built the bulk of his experience during six seasons at FC Nantes, achieved the milestone in a goalless draw away to Strasbourg.

Simon started the match and featured for 64 minutes before being substituted, helping his side claim a valuable away point that keeps Paris FC 13th in the table and nine points clear of the relegation zone.

Across his 200 Ligue 1 appearances, Simon has recorded 76 goal contributions - 36 goals and 40 assists - the most goal contributions by any Nigerian player in the history of the French top flight. His 40 assists is also the highest tally ever recorded by a Nigerian in Ligue 1, surpassing the previous record held by John Utaka.

Wilfred Ndidi and Besiktas returned to winning ways following their defeat to Galatasaray, with the Super Eagles vice-captain producing a composed performance - completing 91% of his passes and creating one key chance. Ndidi's leadership at the base of midfield continues to be the foundation of Besiktas's season.

In La Liga, Akor Adams and Chidera Ejuke were unable to make an impact as Atletico Madrid ran riot against Sevilla in a 5-2 victory, with Ademola Lookman also having a quiet afternoon for the Spanish capital club. Samuel Chukwueze came on as a substitute for Fulham late in the Forest draw.

A weekend of records, milestones and long-awaited goals. Nigerian football in Europe is very much alive and with Victor Osimhen heading to Anfield on Wednesday, the biggest moment of the week is still to come.