Daniel Daga announced his return to Norwegian football in memorable fashion on Sunday, scoring his first competitive goal since returning to action as Molde came from behind to beat KFUM Oslo 4-2 in an entertaining Eliteserien clash at the KFUM Arena, Trybal News reports.
The 19-year-old Nigerian midfielder made his first league start since September 2025 after recently being cleared by Norway’s Frostating Court of Appeal in a legal case that had kept him out of action for more than nine months. Following the verdict earlier this month, Molde reinstated the former Flying Eagles midfielder to the first-team squad, paving the way for his long-awaited return.
Molde endured a nightmare start when Rasmus Eggen Vinge fired KFUM Oslo ahead inside the opening minute, leaving the visitors with an early mountain to climb.
Daga, however, sparked the comeback in the 40th minute. After the KFUM goalkeeper parried a powerful effort and Eirik Hestad’s follow-up crashed against the woodwork, the Nigerian reacted quickest to sweep the loose ball into the net for his first goal since returning to competitive football.
The visitors thought they had completed the turnaround before the break through Jalal Abdullai, but VAR intervened to rule out the strike, sending both sides into halftime level at 1-1.
Molde eventually edged ahead through captain Emil Breivik in the second half, only for Bilal Njie to restore parity moments later. The visitors continued to press and were rewarded late on when Martin Linnes scored in the closing stages before Samukelo Kabini added a stoppage-time goal to seal an impressive 4-2 comeback victory.
After the final whistle, an emotional Daga admitted the goal meant far more than just getting on the scoresheet.
It’s been a long time since I played. It was a big moment for me. I’m grateful to God, it was a very emotional moment for me,” the midfielder said after the match.
The victory ended Molde’s recent winless run and lifted the former Norwegian champions to fifth place in the Eliteserien standings with 23 points. For Daga, the goal represents another significant milestone in his comeback as one of Nigeria’s brightest young midfield prospects looks to rebuild his momentum in European football after an extended spell on the sidelines.
