Super Eagles Stars Shine as Palace Beat Fulham
Four Super Eagles players featured in the London derby at Craven Cottage, where Crystal Palace earned a 2–1 win over Fulham. The match offered Nigerian fans a good look at their stars ahead of the AFCON 2025 camp.
Fulham started the game hoping to bounce back from their 5–4 defeat to Manchester City, while Crystal Palace arrived with confidence after beating Burnley. Although Fulham kept more of the ball early on, it was Palace who struck first.
Nathaniel Clyne, making his first start in more than six months, sent a long pass to Tyrique Mitchell on the left. Mitchell found Adam Wharton, who slipped the ball to Eddie Nketiah. The striker calmly finished into the bottom corner to put Palace ahead.
Nigerian players make their mark
Calvin Bassey delivered a strong performance at the back for Fulham. He matched Jean-Philippe Mateta throughout the game, refusing to give the French forward space to operate.
Alex Iwobi played deeper than usual in midfield, but he still produced a moment of class. In the 37th minute, his clever pass found Raul Jimenez, who combined with Harry Wilson before the Welshman curled in a fine equaliser.
Fulham thought they had gone ahead early in the second half when Samuel Chukwueze’s cross was headed onto the bar by Iwobi, allowing Emile Smith Rowe to tap in. But VAR ruled Chukwueze offside in the build-up.
Late in the game, Christantus Uche, who has played very little Premier League football, came off the bench for Palace. He almost scored in the 85th minute, but his stretching shot went straight at Bernd Leno. The resulting corner led to the winner, with Marc Guehi heading in Yeremi Pino’s delivery.
Fulham pushed forward during added time, but Palace held firm to secure the victory. The win moves Palace up to fourth in the Premier League table, while Fulham drop to 15th.
With their club duties done for the week, Iwobi, Chukwueze, Bassey, and Uche will now travel to join the Super Eagles as Nigeria begin preparations for AFCON 2025.
