Soccer
Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface traveled to Spain to watch his compatriot Chidera Ejuke as Sevilla fell to a 4-1 defeat against Barcelona at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, Soccernet.ng reports.
Sevilla welcomed Barcelona for the second installment of their La Liga clash against Sevilla on Sunday. Recall that the first installment of the tie ended in a 5-0 loss for Sevilla. That was also the game in which Ejuke suffered his hamstring injury.
Los Nervionenses currently have two Nigerians on their books, but Akor Adams missed the tie due to an injury while Ejuke started from the bench.
Just before the game started, Bayer Leverkusen star Boniface shared a video of Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. After the game, Boniface shared a picture of himself with Ejuke and their agents.
Barcelona dominated the first half of the encounter, with Robert Lewandowski giving them the lead after just seven minutes. However, just seconds later, Sevilla pulled one back courtesy of Ruben Vargas.
The game remained like that until the break. But Barca switched it up a notch in the second half. And they were rewarded, as Fermin Lopez and Raphinha scored in the first ten minutes to give Barcelona a 3-1 lead.
Unfortunately, their momentum reduced after Lopez got sent off for a bad tackle in the 61st minute. Just a minute later, Ejuke was introduced into the game.
The Nigerian replaced Vargas, but he could not pepper the Barcelona backline. Known for his immaculate ability to dribble, he was on the receiving end this time, with Lamine Yamal and Jules Kounde dribbling past him on multiple occasions.
FT. #SevillaFCBarça pic.twitter.com/c6c8c0wNll
— Sevilla FC (@SevillaFC_ENG) February 9, 2025
He could not do much in the end, as Eric Garcia added the fourth goal for Barcelona in the 89th minute to ensure that it ended 4-1 after 90 minutes.
Soccer Ejuke has to do better than his Barcelona performance
Ejuke was out of action for three months, but he has not been himself since he returned from his injury. Ejuke usually loves to hug the ball and carve out open spaces for his team, but he could not do that against Barcelona.
Vargas, who started the game, was more effective and looked more dangerous whenever Sevilla attacked. Ejuke’s performance was not enough to convince coach Garcia Pimienta that he deserves more time, and that is something he should work on.
If Ejuke does not pick up the pace soon, he could be relegated to being a bench warmer.
Kelvin Omachonu
Kelvin Omachonu is a writer with many years of experience covering sports events in Nigeria and abroad. He is fueled by his love for the job, and is dedicated to delivering captivating stories.
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