Victor Olatunji became the first Nigerian to score and provide an assist on his Champions League debut in Sparta Prague’s 3-0 victory over RB Salzburg on Wednesday.
Lining up alongside Veljko Birmancevic and Lukas Haraslin, the Sokoto-born forward made an immediate impact in Europe, delivering a standout performance from the start.
Lars Friis’ side extended their unbeaten streak to 15 matches across all competitions, starting strong at the Epet Arena by taking an early lead in the second minute, courtesy of Kaan Kairinen’s strike.
The Finnish midfielder capitalized on a loose ball following a brilliant save by goalkeeper Janis Blaswich, calmly slotting in the rebound.
Three minutes before the half-time break, Olatunji doubled the advantage for the hosts by firing home from a tight angle thanks to an assist by captain Filip Panak.
Olatunji then turned provider as the hosts finished off the game at the hour mark, setting up Qazim Laci for a composed finish.
With that achievement, Olatunji etched his name in the competition’s history as the first Nigerian footballer to score and assist in his debut match in Europe’s premier club tournament.
Also, he became just the third player to accomplish this milestone, following in the footsteps of Ivorian international Serge Aurier and Gabonese football legend Daniel Cousin.
Cousin first accomplished this in 2007 while playing for Rangers, fulfilling a childhood dream by netting his inaugural Champions League goal during the Scottish club’s impressive 3-0 Group E victory over Olympique Lyonnais.
Eight years later, Aurier joined the esteemed ranks as Paris Saint-Germain triumphed 3-0 over Ukrainian Premier League side Shakhtar Donetsk at Arena Lviv.
This result ended Sparta Prague’s long wait for a Champions League victory, their first since a 1-0 win over Lazio in December 2003. It also marked the first time they have ever opened the competition with a win, in what is their eighth appearance in the tournament proper.
“I feel good, I feel great and I’m very happy for myself because I worked hard to get to this point. I’m also happy for the team,” Olatunji told UEFA media after the match.
“We always play like a team – I really enjoyed it. For the third goal, I could have shot but I wanted to give us a bigger chance (of scoring), because missing that chance would not have been good for the team.”
Next up for the Prague-based outfit is a league game against Ceske Budejovice on Sunday before visiting Bundesliga giants Stuttgart in their next Champions League outing on October 1st.
