By Akanni Aisha
Super Eagles midfielder, Raphael Onyedika received a straight red card during Club Brugge’s UEFA Champions League clash against AC Milan at San Siro.
This marks the Nigerian’s second dismissal of the 2024-25 season, following his earlier red card in a 1-1 draw with Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.
AC Milan hosted Club Brugge on matchday three of the Champions League, looking to turn around their poor start to the group stage. However, Onyedika’s night took a dramatic turn just five minutes before halftime.
In a desperate attempt to win the ball, his late challenge on Tijjani Reijnders left the Dutch midfielder in visible pain. After a VAR review, the referee sent off Onyedika in the 40th minute, with Brugge already trailing 1-0 after Christian Pulisic’s opener in the 34th minute.
Meanwhile, fellow Nigerian international Samuel Chukwueze continued his resurgence after a slow start to the season.
Having scored his first goal of the campaign over the weekend, the winger added to his momentum with an assist against Club Brugge.
Though Chukwueze didn’t start the match, he was brought on in the 60th minute to replace Rafael Leão, with Milan seeking to secure their first group-stage victory.
Despite being down to 10 men, Club Brugge showed resilience and leveled the score just six minutes into the second half. However, their joy was short-lived as Milan responded with two quick goals, with Chukwueze playing a key role in the second, providing the assist in the 71st minute.
The 3-1 victory marked AC Milan’s first win in the Champions League group stage, bouncing back from earlier defeats to Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen.
