Nigerian defender Chibuike Nwaiwu was sent off as Trabzonspor suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Ferencváros in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League play-off tie, Trybal News reports.
The encounter at Papara Park brought three Nigerian players together, with Nwaiwu and striker Paul Onuachu starting for Trabzonspor, while Bamidele Yusuf featured from the start for Ferencváros.
Trabzonspor made a promising start and created an early opening through Onuachu, but the Nigerian striker could not convert his headed effort after Wagner Pina delivered into the box.
Ferencváros punished the home side in the 17th minute when Kristoffer Zachariassen rose to head the visitors into the lead.
Onuachu remained a threat for Trabzonspor but was unable to find the equaliser as Ferencváros defended their advantage effectively.
Yusuf, meanwhile, started on the right side of Ferencváros’ attack and worked against a Trabzonspor defence that included his compatriot Nwaiwu. The Nigerian was withdrawn in the 61st minute as the visitors looked to protect their lead.
Nwaiwu remained on the pitch until stoppage time but his night ended on a sour note when he was shown a straight red card in the sixth minute of added time.
The dismissal leaves Trabzonspor facing an even tougher task in the return leg, with Nwaiwu now unavailable through suspension.
Ferencváros held on to secure a valuable away victory and take a 1-0 advantage into the second leg in Hungary on August 27.
For the Nigerian contingent, it was a contrasting European night, Yusuf helped Ferencváros secure an important victory, while Onuachu and Nwaiwu were left to rue Trabzonspor’s failure to turn their opportunities into a result.
Trabzonspor will now have to produce a stronger performance in the return fixture if they are to overturn the deficit and advance to the Europa League league phase.
