Kelechi Iheanacho came off the bench to inspire Middlesbrough to a narrow 1-0 victory over Derby County in their English Championship clash at the Riverside Stadium, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Sevilla loanee was introduced in the 72nd minute with the game still goalless after Boro had spurned several scoring chances.
Iheanacho’s presence injected urgency into Michael Carrick’s side, and the breakthrough arrived in the 80th minute when his overhead kick was blocked into the path of Finn Azaz, who slapped home the rebound.
The win lifted Middlesbrough back to eighth place, just two points behind West Brom in the final playoff spot.
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In Serie B, Orji Okwonkwo netted his first goal of the season to fire Cittadella to a 1-0 away win at Juve Stabia.
The 27-year-old striker smashed home off ... in the 38th minute to finish off a sharp counterattack.
Meanwhile, Ademola Lookman endured a frustrating outing as Atalanta were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Venezia in Serie A.
In Germany, Nathan Tella continued his fine form with Bayer Leverkusen, scoring the opening goal in their 4-1 Bundesliga away win at Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Super Eagles winger brilliantly created space for himself on the edge of the box before applying an expert finish for his second league goal of the season in 19 appearances — three fewer than the five goals he managed last term.
His compatriot Victor Boniface came on as a second-half substitute but could not add to his eight Bundesliga goals this campaign.
In France’s Première Ligue Féminine, Ifeoma Onumonu stole the show as Montpellier secured an impressive 4-2 away win at Stade de Reims.
The Super Falcons forward assisted her side’s second goal before scoring the third in a devastating eight-minute spell.
Onumonu now boasts seven goals in 14 league games — her best scoring season since netting eight goals for Gotham FC in the United States in 2021.
Elsewhere in France, Chiamaka Nnadozie kept another clean sheet as Paris FC played out a 0-0 draw with Nantes, while Jennifer Echegini impressed as PSG edged Dijon 1-0.
Over in Brazil, Shola Ogundana starred for Flamengo U20 with two goals and an assist in their 6-1 thrashing of Olimpia U20 in the CONMEBOL Libertadores U20 opener.
The former Beyond Limits academy graduate, 20, helped Flamengo to the top of Group A, ahead of Argentina’s Danubio U20, who defeated O’Higgins U20 of Chile 3-0.