Super Eagles striker Taiwo Awoniyi got off to a promising start in the Premier League; scoring a well-taken goal in the season opener against Arsenal on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium.
Unfortunately, the goal scored by Awoniyi was not enough as Arsenal prevailed 2-1 over Nottingham Forest in a game the Gunners dominated almost all the departments.
Several reports had suggested Awoniyi will not be fit for the trip to London to face the Gunners but the 26-year-old surprisingly made it to the bench.
He was finally introduced into the game in the 72nd minute when he came on as a replacement for Brazilian forward, Danilo.
READ ALSO: ANALYSIS: Metamorphosis of Awoniyi has Osimhen undertone
Awoniyi, who ended Arsenal’s title hope last season and effectively handed the title to Manchester City, needed barely ten minutes on the pitch to make an impact.
He combined well with Anthony Elanga, another substitute to score for Forest in the 83rd minute.
Birthday boy Awoniyi @taiwoawoniyi18 with the goal for Nottingham Forest against Arsenal 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Qbt8f1dRil#ARSNFO #PL #EaglesTracker 🦅🇳🇬
— Home of Nigerian Football (@EaglesTrackerNG) August 12, 2023
Though the visitors pushed to have a share of the spoils with Arsenal, the first-half goals scored by Eddie Nketiah in the 26th minute and Bukayo Saka just after the half-hour mark gave the Gunners maximum points and a somewhat perfect start to the season.
Despite his injury setback, Awoniyi scored 10 goals in 27 EPL games in the 2022-23 season campaign, proving how dangerous he is as a striker.
With a goal from his first game, many are confident Awoniyi with lesser injury spells should get over a dozen goals for Forest this season and also ensure they retain their Premier League status for another season.
While Forest will be counting on Awoniyi for goals upfront, they have added another Nigerian, Ola Aina, to their roster, who will be saddled with ensuring they concede the least number of goals possible.
Aina made his full debut for Forest on Saturday against Arsenal as Steve Copper handed him a starter’s shirt.
The former Torino of Italy defender featured for 71 minutes before he was replaced by Neco Williams.
Though Aina was booked in the 28th minute for a foul against Bukayo Saka, he largely had a decent outing for Forest on Saturday.
The next stop for Awonyi and Aina is a home game against the newly promoted Sheffield United.
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