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By Johnny Edward.
The 2022/23 European club competition semi-finals will be devoid of the presence of Nigerian players this year, PUNCH Sports Extra.
The quartet Victor Osimhen, Victor Boniface, Terem Moffi and Gift Orban all failed to get past the quarter-final stage of the European club competition with their respective club this season, unlike last season when Samuel Chukwueze reached the last four of the Champions League with Villarreal only to lose to Liverpool.
Also, the duo Joe Aribo and Cyriel Dessers also reached the final of the Europa League and Conference League but ended up losing.
This season, Nigerian players started the European club competition on a bright note only for their hope to be dashed in the quarter-finals of the competition.
Osimhen started the season in a spectacular fashion steering Napoli to the top Group A with 15 points from six games.
The 24-year-old scored five goals in the competition before the Partenopei were knocked out 2-1 on aggregate by AC Milan in the quarter-finals after a 1-1 draw in Naples with the Eagles star grabbing a stoppage-time equaliser.
The Nigeria international is the second-highest African scorer in the competition with five goals having played 424 minutes. He is behind Mohamed Salah with eight strikes.
The fine run of Boniface in the UEFA Europa League, which saw him score seven goals, ended when his club Union Saint-Gilloise was trounced 4-1 at home by Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen.
Boniface enjoyed a good shift before he was replaced nine minutes from time. He is currently the top scorer in the Europa League.
Union SG is now second in the Juplier Pro League rankings, and a continuation of their strong success would see them return to European tournaments.
Also, Gent prodigy, Orban also exited the Conference League with head up high despite his side’s 4-1 thumping in the hands of West Ham at the London Stadium on Thursday night.
Having drawn 1-1 at home last Thursday, Gent knew they needed to avoid defeat at the London Stadium to stand any chance of progressing to the semi-finals of the competition.
West Ham were the clear favourites but the hopes of Gent rested on the slender shoulders of Orban, who netted a hat trick in the previous round.
The encounter began poorly for Orban as he was shown a yellow as early as the 18th minute for a clumsy challenge.
Still, it was Gent that took the lead midway through the half following a fine strike from Hugo Cuypers. That was as good as it got for the Belgians as West Ham replied with four goals.
Michail Antonio grabbed a brace that sandwiched a Lucas Paqueta penalty and a rare Declan Rice effort. Orban was substituted in the 72nd minute as Gent looked for a way back in vain into the tie.
Orban would be disappointed not to register his name on the score sheet or help Gent advance to the semi-final but the 20-year-old can be proud of his impact in his first-ever appearance in a European club competition.
Until Thursday night, Orban had five goals in five appearances in the Conference League, including the fastest hat trick in the history of UEFA’s cup competition.
His brilliance has already seen him being linked with a move to some of the continent’s biggest clubs including La Liga giants Barcelona.
Orban, though, will want to turn his attention to the domestic scene where Gent are fourth in the league with 55 points.
The Buffalos are battling with champions Club Brugge and Standard Liege for the last Championship playoff spot.
Last Thursday, also saw OGC Nice parading Moffi saw their dream of European glory dashed right in front of their fans when they lost 2-1 to FC Basel after extra time to crash out of the UEFA Europa Conference League 4-3 on aggregate.
Moffi had put up a superb performance for Nice in the first leg at St. Jakob Park last week, scoring twice in the 2-2 draw but the Eagles striker could not replicate the same brilliance at the Allianz Riviera.
Les Aiglons were favorites to claim the tie, and they showed their dominance from the blast of the whistle but Moffi was unable to score as his Nice side succumbed to a shocking extra-time loss to Basel in the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League.
VAR ruled out a penalty appeal by Nice after Moffi appeared to be fouled inside the box in the 59th minute
He was taken off for Nicola Pepe in the 73rd minute. However, the decision did not change the game. A goal from Kasim Adams in extra time ensured that Basel ran out winners with a 4-3 aggregate win.