Super Eagles forward Paul Onuachu made his first appearance in almost two months after featuring in Trabzonspor’s win over Fatih Karagumruk in the Turkish Cup.
The 29-year-old has been on the sidelines since late February when he suffered an injury during a game against Istanbul Basaksehir, but returned to help his club secure victory over Karagumruk.
Trabzonspor took a major step towards booking their place in the final of the Turkish Cup when they defeated their opponents 3-2 in the first leg of the semi-final encounter on Wednesday.
In what was a difficult game, Abdullah Avci’s side had to repel a late onslaught from the visitors to preserve their slender lead ahead of the second leg next month. Having scored the opener through Edin Visca in the 15th minute, Ryan Mendes restored parity for Karagumruk seven minutes later.
Trabzonspor, however, ended the first half strongly, with Stefano Denswil putting them ahead once again. Taxiarchis Fountas made it 3-1 after the restart before Flavio Paoletti reduced the deficit late on to ensure a tense end to the game.
Onuachu makes substitute appearance after two-month injury layoff
Onuachu returned from injury last week and was named in Trabzonspor’s matchday squad for their league clash against Kayserispor. However, the Nigerian was left on the bench throughout the match.
Having once again been included in the squad for Wednesday’s Turkish Cup semi-final first leg against Karagumruk, Onuachu was introduced in the second half.
The on-loan Southampton forward replaced goal scorer Fountas in the 57th minute to get a taste of his first minutes in nearly two months. Although he did not affect the game much, he gave Trabzonspor a focal point up front and allowed the other attackers to play off him.
Onuachu’s return to fitness comes as a huge boost to the Turkish club, who are currently fighting for a Europa League spot as they occupy the third position in the league. Trabzonspor are also in contention for the Turkish Cup, where they’ll be facing either Besiktas or Ankaragucu in the final if they manage to get the better of Karagumruk over two legs.
Meanwhile, Onuachu will be hoping to add to his nine goals and three assists in the coming weeks after recovering from injury.
