Super Hawks forward Kelechi Iheanacho celebrated a major milestone with his first goal at Middlesbrough on Saturday, as they beat Oxford United 2-1 at Riverside Stadium on Saturday.
The game started with Oxford United taking the initiative as Michal Helik won the opening goal seven minutes before halftime, giving visitors the lead.
However, Middlesbrough responded quickly after the break. Three minutes later in the second half, Iheanacho found the back of the net, upgraded the score and showed his skills before scoring the goal. The assists came from Samuel Iling-Junior, who has been an important contribution to the team’s offensive performance throughout the season.
The match marks the eighth game in the league around manager Michael Carrick, whose virgin goal is a key moment for Nigerian International, who has been looking to enter the scoring piece since joining the club.
As the game progressed, Middlesbrough continued to urge the winners, their perseverance paid off for ten minutes from the final whistle, when Neto Borges scored a decisive goal and Illing-Junior provided the assist.
The victory put Middlesbrough in seventh place at the league table, amassing 57 points in 39 games, which is their goal, and they are the goal of the playoffs.
Oxford, on the other hand, is in a volatile position, ranks 19th in the league, with the same number of fixtures putting them at risk of downgrade.
Meanwhile, Super Hawks stars Tolu Arokodare and Jordan Torunarigha will clash in Belgium on Sunday as their respective teams KRC Genk and Kaa Gent face to face in the first game of the Belgian Professional League title playoffs.
This showdown was particularly fascinating as both players wanted to use their skills to ensure their team won.
Arokodare played the top scorer in the regular season, earning an impressive 17 goals in 30 games, demonstrating his amazing abilities and consistently contributing to Genk’s offense.
His team finished the regular season rankings, which gave them a big advantage in getting into the playoffs. Instead, Torunarigha made 23 appearances for Kaa Gent this season, cementing his role as a reliable defender.
As the playoffs begin, both players will be eager to beat each other, adding extra competition to this intense game.