Europa League: Iheanacho, Kayode score, Chukwueze benched

NIGERIAN strikers Kelechi Iheanacho and Olanrewaju Kayode were on target on Thursday night as their teams won their UEFA Europa League group stage fixtures.

Iheanacho, who will be in Nigeria next week for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Sierra Leone, scored twice in Leicester City’s 4-0 home win over Portuguese side SC Braga in their Group G tie.

The Nigeria forward, who started for Leicester City in place of the rested Jamie Vardy, also provided an assist.

Iheanacho scored Leicester City’s first two goals and set up the third for Dennis Praet before making way for Ayoze Perez, who then scored the fourth goal.

The 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup winner has now made six goal contributions in just two Europa League starts this season: three goals and three assists.

Leicester City are on top of their group with nine points from three games with Braga second on six points from three matches.

In Group I Kayode also continued his fine run in the competition, scoring one of the goals as his Turkish club Sivasspor defeated Qarag 2-0.Kayode came on as a 59th minute substitute for Mustapha Yatabare and scored Sivasspor’s second goal in the 88th minute to seal the three points.

The 27-year-old Kayode, who is on loan from Shakhtar Donetsk,  has now scored in each of his three Europa League appearances this season for Sivasspor, although Thursday night’s was their first win.

He also scored one goal each in the 5-3 defeat at Villarreal and the 2-1 home loss to Maccabi Tel Aviv.

In the other Group I fixture on Thursday night, Super Eagles forward Samuel Chukwueze, who scored in LaLiga days earlier, was an unused substitute in Villarreal’s 4-0 home win over Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The Spanish side are on top of the group with nine points, followed by Maccabi Tel Aviv with six. Sivasspor are third with three points.