Onyedika and Club Brugge suffer champions league exit

DDM News

Nigeria’s last representative in the UEFA Champions League, Raphael Onyedika, saw his campaign end on Wednesday night.

According to Diaspora digital media (DDM), Club Brugge suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa at Villa Park, sealing their elimination from the tournament.

The Belgian champions crashed out in the round of 16 with a 6-1 aggregate loss over both legs.

Already trailing 3-1 from the first leg, Club Brugge faced an uphill battle before the match even started.

Their challenge became even tougher when defender Kyriani Sabbe received a straight red card after just 17 minutes.

Sabbe fouled Marcus Rashford, who was through on goal, forcing the visitors to play with ten men.

Unai Emery’s Aston Villa took full advantage of their numerical superiority and dominated the second half completely.

Spanish international Marco Asensio proved decisive, coming off the bench to score twice and secure Villa’s victory.

Asensio netted his first goal in the 50th minute, finishing a well-placed pass from winger Leon Bailey.

Seven minutes later, Ian Maatsen doubled Villa’s lead with a composed finish from Morgan Rogers’ cutback.

Asensio completed his brace in the 61st minute, tapping in a perfect cross from Rashford.

The comprehensive 3-0 win ensured Aston Villa’s progression to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Villa will now face Paris Saint-Germain in the next round, aiming for a semi-final spot.

Onyedika’s elimination marks the end of Nigerian representation in this season’s Champions League campaign.

Earlier in the competition, several Nigerian stars had already suffered exits in the knockout rounds.

Ademola Lookman’s Atalanta was eliminated by Club Brugge despite his goal just seconds after coming on.

Lookman’s early impact was not enough, as he missed a crucial penalty in Atalanta’s 3-1 defeat.

Atalanta lost 5-2 on aggregate, crashing out of the tournament before the round of 16.

Samuel Chukwueze and AC Milan also failed to progress after facing Feyenoord in the knockout rounds.

Milan managed a 1-1 draw at San Siro, but Feyenoord advanced with a 2-1 aggregate victory.

Bayer Leverkusen’s Nigerian duo, Victor Boniface and Nathan Tella, also endured a painful elimination.

Leverkusen lost 3-0 to Bayern Munich in the first leg, making their comeback attempt almost impossible.

They suffered another 2-0 defeat at home, sealing a 5-0 aggregate loss to their German rivals.

Onyedika’s exit confirms that no Nigerian player remains in this season’s UEFA Champions League.

Attention will now shift to the Europa League and Conference League, where Nigerian stars seek European success.

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