Valencia manager Javier Aguirre has praised Super Eagles forward, Sadiq Umar, following his impressive return from injury, which inspired the Spanish side to a 1-0 victory over Elche CF on Sunday evening.
The Nigerian striker came off the bench in the second half and made an immediate impact, scoring the decisive goal at the Manuel Martínez Valero to hand Valencia all three points.
Sadiq capped off a well-executed counter-attack, showing excellent composure to get past his marker before calmly guiding the ball into the net.
Reacting after the encounter, Aguirre described the striker’s return as positive news for the team but admitted that he was unhappy with his players’ failure to take their other scoring opportunities.
“It’s great news for everybody,” Aguirre said, according to Valencia’s official website.
“We also had the chance to make it 0-2, and I don’t know what happened in that move. Elche CF had their chances too. The win feels good.”
The 29-year-old has struggled with fitness problems since the start of the campaign but has still managed to make a positive contribution whenever available, recording two goals in four appearances.
Sadiq had been sidelined for Valencia’s previous seven league fixtures against Barcelona, Sevilla, Alavés, Real Sociedad, Racing Santander, Athletic Club and Villarreal due to his injury.
However, his match-winning contribution against Elche marks an encouraging comeback for the former Real Sociedad attacker.
The Super Eagles forward will now be hoping to avoid further fitness setbacks, maintain his sharpness and build on his impressive return as he looks to regain his best form.