Super Eagles: How Moffi fired past Osimhen in unwanted Bundesliga record

Super Eagles stars Terem Moffi finally opened his Bundesliga scoring account at the weekend during Hamburg’s dramatic win at Hoffenheim.

With his first Bundesliga strike, Moffi leaves Victor Osimhen and two former Super Eagles stars behind in an unwanted record among Nigerian players in Germany’s top flight.

The Hamburg forward scored his first league goal for the club on Saturday, rescuing his side with a crucial equaliser in their thrilling 3-2 away victory over Hoffenheim.

Moffi came off the bench in the 76th minute, with Hamburg trailing 2-1, and needed only seven minutes to make his mark. The Nigerian rose to head home Miro Muheim’s cross in the 83rd minute before the Swiss defender struck a stoppage-time winner to complete the comeback.

The goal was a welcome breakthrough for Moffi, who joined Hamburg from French club OGC Nice during the summer transfer window.

The former Lorient star had endured a difficult start to life in Germany and had struggled to make a decisive impact.

However, his contribution against Hoffenheim could provide the confidence he needs to establish himself in Hamburg’s attack.

Even more significantly, that goal has separated Moffi from a group of prominent Nigerian internationals who played in the competition without finding the net.

Super Eagles: Osimhen and West among Nigerians without Bundesliga goals

Three prominent Super Eagles icons have played in the German Bundesliga without a goal to their names.

Victor Osimhen, set to face Barcelona on Tuesday, is arguably the most recognisable name on that list. His transformation from a struggling teenager in Germany into one of Africa’s leading strikers has been remarkable.

The Super Eagles forward began his European club career at VfL Wolfsburg in 2017 after impressing at the FIFA U-17 World Cup. However, injuries and limited opportunities restricted his progress, and he made 14 Bundesliga appearances without scoring.

Osimhen subsequently rebuilt his career in Belgium, France, Italy and Turkey, becoming Nigeria’s second greatest striker and Africa’s most valuable centre-forward.

Former Super Eagles defender Taribo West also played in Germany without scoring a Bundesliga goal. The centre-back featured in 10 league matches for Kaiserslautern during the 2001-02 campaign.

Pascal Karibe Ojigwe completes the group. The former Nigerian international played for Kaiserslautern, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Mönchengladbach in Germany’s top flight but never scored a Bundesliga goal.

Ojigwe nevertheless enjoyed a memorable achievement in German football, winning a Bundesliga title medal with Kaiserslautern during the 1997-98 season.