Tolu Arokodare's goal, reportedly his 13th in 17 games for Ajax, comes with Victor Osimhen injured and Nigeria's No. 9 spot in question before the Tanzania games.
Tolu Arokodare headed Ajax in front early on as the Eredivisie side drew 2-2 with FC Twente at De Grolsch Veste in Enschede on Sunday 8 November. Oscar Gloukh set up the goal with a cross.
It was his seventh Eredivisie goal of the season. Across all competitions for Ajax he now has 13 goals and four assists in 17 appearances.
Ajax looked set for victory after the 66th minute, when substitute Rayane Bounida doubled their lead from outside the penalty area. Two minutes later Dies Janse headed a corner past his own goalkeeper. In stoppage time VAR intervened over a foul by Lucas Rosa on Ramiz Zerrouki, and Wout Weghorst, the 34-year-old Dutchman and former Manchester United striker, converted the penalty from the spot. The result left Ajax one point behind leaders PSV, and denied them the chance to move top.
The goal also matched a record. According to Head Topics, Arokodare is only the second player in Ajax history to net in six of his opening seven Eredivisie starts for the club, a record set by club legend Patrick Kluivert 32 years ago. Before the trip to Twente he had scored against Telstar, PSV Eindhoven, NEC Nijmegen, Sparta Rotterdam and AZ Alkmaar.
Arokodare is on loan at Ajax from Wolverhampton Wanderers, and the goal strengthens his case for a permanent move from Wolves.
After the final whistle, the two men were seen together. Hand in hand, they closed their eyes and prayed on the pitch for nearly three minutes. Weghorst later described it as an opportunity to express gratitude.
Ahead of kick-off, Arokodare gave ESPN a detailed account of how much he admired Weghorst, whom he had followed while the Dutchman was at Manchester United. He said: "I'm a Manchester United fan. When he played there, I was very surprised by his work ethic."
Earlier, the two had already met: Arokodare was playing for KRC Genk in a friendly against Burnley, a club Weghorst then had a contract with. After that match Arokodare wanted to ask him about his attitude, but Weghorst had gone straight to the gym. Arokodare found him there. He said what he took from it:
"He taught me that it was all about mentality."
The bond even played a part in his move to Ajax. When the club showed interest last summer, Arokodare asked Weghorst for advice, and Weghorst had spent two seasons in Amsterdam himself. "And he had nothing but good things to say about Ajax," Arokodare said of him.
Eric Chelle has named a 24-man squad for the Tanzania double-header, and Arokodare is one of six forwards in it. Victor Osimhen, injured following knee surgery, is absent from the group, as is Kelechi Iheanacho. Friday 13 November sees Nigeria welcome Tanzania to Uyo's Godswill Akpabio Stadium, and the reverse fixture takes place on Tuesday 17 November.
SoccerNet argues that Arokodare has the strongest recent scoring record of the squad's central options, and that a home game Nigeria need to win is the place to start him. Club form does not always decide selection, though. If Chelle prefers a mobile front line with Ademola Lookman and Moses Simon on the flanks, Taiwo Awoniyi or Akor Adams could still start ahead of him.
The line-up released on 13 November will reveal which approach Chelle backs in Osimhen's absence.
No comments yet