Tag: UEFA Champions League

Four African players have made history with Belgian side, Club Brugge in the 2022/2023 edition of the UEFA Champions League as the club held Spanish giants Atletico Madrid to a goalless draw in Spain.

It was the first time in history that the Belgian club would book a knockout stage berth and it is also significant to mention that four African players were part of the feat achieved by the Belgian club against a highly rated Spanish club. The quadruple of Raphael Onyedika of Nigeria, Abakar Sylla of Ivory Coast and Denis Odoi alongside Kamal Sowah, both of Ghana, were in the starting line-up of the team that made history for the Belgian side in Spain. For the first time,Club Brugge secured 10 points in the group stage after four matches in the UEFA Champions League, and it was a historic moment that saw the team parade two of the above-mentioned players in their defensive line while Nigeria’s Raphael Onyedika took charge of the defensive midfield.

Though Kamal Sowah of Ghana, who was in front, got a second yellow card and was sent off in the 82nd minute of the match, it did not affect the result. But the Ghanaian will have to miss the next match and must come back with more discipline ahead of the knockout stage. The trio of Raphael Onyedika, Denis Odoi and Abakar Sylla saw the end of the 90 minutes that made the Belgian club have a reason to celebrate after the blast of the final whistle by the centre referee. Despite securing a knockout stage spot and being on top with 10 points, they will need at least one more victory to seal their top spot in the group in their remaining two matches. Club Brugge had an impressive performance in this group stage, getting three wins and a draw to reach the knockout stage. Recall that it was Daniel Amokachi of Nigeria that scored the club’s first goal in the UEFA Champions League in 1992 in a 1-0 win against CSKA Moscow. By scoring that goal, Amokachi also became the first Nigerian to score a goal in the UEFA Champions League.