By Nurudeen Obalola
Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi continued his recent fine form on Thursday night by scoring twice to inspire Fulham to a 3-1 English Premier League victory over Brighton at Craven Cottage.
Also on Thursday night, Kelechi Iheanacho netted Sevilla’s third goal in their 3-1 win at UE Olot in the second round of the Copa del Rey.
Nigeria international Iwobi has now made five goal contributions (three goals and two assists) in his last four Premier League appearances.
Iwobi opened the scoring in the fourth minute when he took advantage of an errant pass by Brighton goalkeeper Bert Verbruggen to stroke the ball into the net
He then sealed the win with brilliant footwork three minutes from time.
In between Iwobi’s goals, Carlos Baleba equalised for Brighton with a long-range effort in the 56th minute and a Mark O’Riley own goal restored Fulham’s lead in the 79th minute.
According to Opta statistics, it is only the second time in his 267 Premier League appearances that Iwobi has scored more than once in a match in the competition (also versus Nottingham Forest in December 2023).
The win lifted Fulham to sixth in the table, one spot below Brighton.
Also on Thursday night in the PremierLeague, Dean Huijsen scored the only goal in the first half as Bournemouth defeated Tottenham Hotspur at the Vitality Stadium.
In Spain, Iheanacho struck Sevilla’s third goal in the 73rd minute against the fourth-tier Olot to steer Sevilla into the third round of the cup competition.
The Super Eagles striker has now scored three goals in just two Copa del Rey appearances, while he is yet to score in LaLiga after seven games.
