Super Eagles Captain Wilfred Ndidi kicked off his new season on a high last night as his assist helped Besiktas’ win their UEFA Europa League third qualifying round first leg victory 1-0 over Hradec Kralove.
The Nigerian midfield supremo who recently returned from injury that sidelined him for the rest of last season in Turkey, came off the bench in the 76th minute to contribute the crucial pass that led to Semih Kilicsoy finding the back of the net with a powerful header after a rebound fell kindly to the forward.
Ndidi who replaced Orkun Kokcu delivered the pass just four minutes on the pitch for Besiktas to gain a crucial edge,
It was a welcome relief for Besiktas Manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who went to the Czech Republic club in search of an advantage ahead of the return leg fixture in Istanbul.
Before the breakthrough, Besiktas had created several chances, with Orkun Kokcu and Hyeon-Gyu Oh testing the Hradec Kralove defence, while goalkeeper Alexander Nubel made important saves to deny the hosts late in the match.
Ndidi’s comeback performance will come as a major boost for Besiktas and Nigeria, with the midfielder continuing to play an important role for the Turkish club.