{"id":833419,"date":"2025-03-12T10:12:03","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T15:12:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/12\/in-form-nigerian-striker-outscored-only-by-osimhen-dessers-reacts-to-first-super-eagles-call-up\/"},"modified":"2025-03-12T10:12:03","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T15:12:03","slug":"in-form-nigerian-striker-outscored-only-by-osimhen-dessers-reacts-to-first-super-eagles-call-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/12\/in-form-nigerian-striker-outscored-only-by-osimhen-dessers-reacts-to-first-super-eagles-call-up\/","title":{"rendered":"In-form Nigerian striker outscored only by Osimhen &#038; Dessers reacts to first Super Eagles call-up"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Soccer <\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>Genk forward <a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/?s=Tolu+Arokodare+\">Tolu Arokodare<\/a> has expressed his delight after being included in<a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/2025\/03\/super-eagles-osimhen-lookman.html\"> Nigeria\u2019s 23-man squad<\/a> for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe, <a href=\"https:\/\/Soccernet.ng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Soccernet.ng<\/a> reports<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/?s=Super+eagles\">Super Eagles<\/a> are set to face Rwanda in Kigali on March 21 before hosting Zimbabwe in Uyo four days later. Head coach Eric Chelle, who took charge in January as the Super Eagles\u2019 first non-Nigerian African coach, has selected a squad aimed at securing the team\u2019s first win of the campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Nigeria have struggled in their qualification run so far, drawing three and losing one of their opening four fixtures. With automatic qualification at stake, Chelle has named four debutants in his squad, including the in-form Arokodare.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/482327282_1079419507533931_5602884550732673600_n.jpg\" alt width=\"512\" height=\"640\"  ><\/p>\n<p><strong>READ MORE\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/2025\/01\/monaco-eye-genk-star-tolu-arokodare.html\">Monaco eye Genk star Tolu Arokodare as alternative to former Arsenal man<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/2024\/12\/tolu-arokodare-surpasses-stephen-keshis-mark-in-belgium-as-genk-humble-anderlecht.html\">Tolu Arokodare surpasses Stephen Keshi\u2019s mark in Belgium as Genk humble Anderlecht<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/2024\/10\/genks-tolu-arokodare-reveals-osimhen-admiration-eyes-premier-league-move-after-promising-start-this-season.html\">Genk\u2019s Tolu Arokodare reveals Osimhen admiration, eyes Premier League move after promising start this season<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Soccer Nigeria\u2019s Arokodare\u2019s call-up reward for fine form<\/h2>\n<p>Arokodare\u2019s inclusion comes on the back of a stellar season with <a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/?s=Genk\">Genk<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The 24-year-old striker has been one of the standout performers in Belgium, scoring 18 goals and providing six assists in all competitions. His goal tally is only bettered by Super Eagles star <a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/?s=Osimhen\">Victor Osimhen<\/a> (23 goals for Galatasaray) and Rangers forward Cyriel Dessers (22 goals) among Nigerian goalscorers in Europe.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_151102\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-151102\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/imago1058127850-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer Nigeria Super Eagles and Genk forward Tolu Arokodare. Photo by IMAGO \" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\"  ><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-151102\">Nigeria Super Eagles and Genk forward Tolu Arokodare. Photo by IMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Interestingly, while Osimhen retained his place in the squad, Dessers was omitted, making way for Arokodare, who now has a chance to make his international debut.<\/p>\n<p>Having risen through the ranks from Latvia to Germany, then France, and now Belgium, Arokodare\u2019s journey to the Nigerian national team has been remarkable. His performances for Genk have turned heads, and his call-up is seen as a deserved reward for his hard work and consistency.<\/p>\n<h2>Soccer Nigeria\u2019s Arokodare reacts to Super Eagles invitation<\/h2>\n<p>The former Cologne and Amiens forward took to social media to express his excitement.<\/p>\n<p>Quoting the official Super Eagles tweet announcing the squad, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/toluarokodare\/status\/1899500235358867799\" target=\"_blank\">Arokodare responded<\/a> with emojis symbolizing gratitude.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot_20250311_194549_Chrome.jpg\" alt width=\"719\" height=\"1166\"  ><\/p>\n<p>His call-up is a major milestone in his career, as he now has an opportunity to prove himself on the international stage.<\/p>\n<p>Before linking up with the national team, Arokodare will first focus on Genk\u2019s crucial league clash against title-chasing Union Saint-Gilloise this weekend.<\/p>\n<p>With league leaders Genk pushing to stay on top in the Belgian First Division A, the striker will be keen to add to his impressive goal tally before heading to Kigali.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_151104\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-151104\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/imago1058137184-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer Nigeria and Genk striker Tolu Arokodare. Photo by IMAGO.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\"  ><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-151104\">Nigeria and Genk striker Tolu Arokodare. Photo by IMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Soccer Nigeria Super Eagles camp opens on March 16<\/h2>\n<p>The Super Eagles\u2019 training camp in Kigali is set to open on Sunday, March 16, as Chelle and his team prepare for the decisive fixtures.<\/p>\n<p>Nigeria will take on Rwanda\u2019s Wasps at the Amahoro Stadium on March 21 before returning home to host Zimbabwe\u2019s Warriors at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on March 25.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_151101\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-151101\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/imago1057659615-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer Nigeria Super Eagles and Genk forward Tolu Arokodare. Photo by IMAGO\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\"  ><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-151101\">Nigeria Super Eagles and Genk forward Tolu Arokodare. Photo by IMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>With the pressure mounting to turn their qualification campaign around, Nigeria will be hoping that Arokodare\u2019s club form translates to the international stage, providing the goals needed to put the Super Eagles back on track.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Soccer Imhonlamhen Eronmhonsele\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/DSC_0327-copy-150x150.jpg\"  height=\"80\" width=\"80\">\t\t<\/p>\n<div>\n<h3>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/author\/imhonlamhen-eronmhonsele\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImhonlamhen Eronmhonsele\t\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\tImhonlamhen Eronmhonsele turns into a ball of passion when writing about Nigerian football and its talents, whether rising stars or established legends, locally and abroad.<\/p>\n<p>From the deepest corners of the Middle East, to the green fields of the Americas, to the celebrated grounds in Europe, and the rich soils of Africa, Imhons is more than glad, usually with a glass of a tasty drink nearby, to capture the essence of the game, by connecting the dots between culture, identity, and football.\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/2025\/03\/nigerian-osimhen-super-eagles.html\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a>Imhonlamhen Eronmhonsele<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Soccer Genk forward Tolu Arokodare has expressed his delight after being included in Nigeria\u2019s 23-man squad for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe, Soccernet.ng reports. The Super Eagles are set to face Rwanda in Kigali on March 21 before hosting Zimbabwe in Uyo four days later. Head coach Eric Chelle, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":833420,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[107699,21999,2005],"tags":[107698,14533],"class_list":{"0":"post-833419","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-in-form","8":"category-nigerian","9":"category-soccer","10":"tag-in-form","11":"tag-nigerian"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/833419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=833419"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/833419\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/833420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=833419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=833419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=833419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}