Kevin Akpoguma was on target for Hoffenheim but it was not enough, as they were dumped out in round two of the German DFB-Pokal by Bundesliga 2 (second division) side Greuther Fuerth on Tuesday night, Completesports.com reports.
With both teams tied at 2-2 after 120 minutes of football, Greuther Fuerth progressed into the next round 7-6 on penalties.
Akpoguma got on the score sheet in the 50th minute to make it 2-2, after goals from Sebastian Ernst (21st minute) and Marco Meyerhofer (46th minute) put the visitors 2-1 ahead.
It is Akpoguma’s first ever goal since joining Hoffenheim also, it is his first goal since October 2016.
In another DFB-Pokal fixture for Tuesday, Taiwo Awoniyi’s Union Berlin will host Bundesliga 2 side Paderborn that parade Jamilu Collins.
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11 Comments
Yeah Akpoguma played really well. You could easily see a leap in his game after those few international football. Becoming clear evidence, that international football takes a player to another level higher. Congratulations Akpoguma n God bless as you continue in striving to take your far above boundaries.
Actually, I don’t think you can 100% establish a correlation between Akpoguma’s games for Nigeria and how he performed in recent club matches. I think what you are missing is that Akpoguma has been an international player for over 9 years with Germany with over 60 caps to his name from as far back as 2011. Okay, this is at age grade level but my point is that you can’t establish with any level of certainty beyond a reasonable doubt that a handful of performances for Nigeria have magically transformed Akpoguma to a superstar overnight. If I might remind you, in those matches for Nigeria, he actually flopped big time as a right fullback with 2 out of 4 of the goals conceded against Sierra Leone coming from his side. You might be right, playing for Nigeria might have enhanced his game at such a short time. But what you think and what you can prove are two entirely different entities. I think we should err on the side of caution before coming to make bold statements in comment sections of any football blog or website.
There is a difference between playing the Under age international football and playing at senior level. At senior level it comes with a sense of, now being an established player meaning, now settled, like in the case of a married man who now can focus. Focus is very very important in steering up great performance in any endeavour. While playing at the under age international feels with a sense of finding a settlement, just like a yet to be married man. You said he flopped when he played for nigeria but good thing you said also,he played at right back, which ain’t his natural position. So I will only be able to fairly assess him when he is played in the centre defence position he is used to. But even in those games he played for nigeria, it was easy to see some spark of brilliance in him. Mine and many others disenchantment towards him is his initial refusal to play for nigeria but I personally don’t dwell in the past but ever happy to forgive as JEHOVAH GOD forgives while moving forward.
Very good points which were skillfully put. Still, the crux of my pushback to your comment is that ‘you can’t establish a correlation between playing a handful of underwhelming Super Eagles matches with Akpoguma’s recent club form’.
This in no way invalidates the brilliant content in your contribution box above. It just does not serve to address my specific point. Shehu Abdulahi and Chidozie Awaziem would tell you that they had to rise up to the challenges and rigours of international football by adapting to unfamiliar roles rather quickly. Akpoguma failed miserably on this point as he struggled over 180 minutes to adapt to an unfamiliar role with Nigeria paying a huge penalty for this. Akpoguma had a baptism of fire on his senior international games and he came out burnt with 2 goals as indelible scars. If he is going to make a success of his international career, he will have to learn how to be flexible and adaptable within a very short space of time. See your Iwobi at Everton, see the way he speedily adapted to the right wingback position and now a right forward winger with lightening speed only to come to Nigeria and play as a centre attacking midfielder to devastated effect. That is what we are talking about. I hope you don’t think I am trying to pull Akpoguma down at the expense of any other player. 🙂
All I am saying is that he has a long way to go in establishing himself as a top grade Super Eagles international. Super Eagles fans are not the forgiving type. His slow start and 2 goals that came from his side against Sierra Leone will live long in the memory. But the same Super Eagles fans believe in redemption. So, Akpoguma has the opportunity to redeem himself. But as yet, I still go back to my original point which is, it is too early to conclude that few minutes with the Super Eagles have transformed him to a mega star in the Bundesliga.
First time playing football in Africa and under bad conditions plus unfamiliar role..meanwhile he never contributed to our loss.we lost due to ekong ..go and re watch that game again
You are unjust in your submission. If he had scored that first goal in his debut you will not be saying this. He did not flop, we are only trying to welcome him home gradually. You talked about sierra leone, you did not talk about the rubbish pitch your country and sierra leone presented. I am also suprsied you are equating junior games to senior games. Do you know what role the mental and psychological angles play on footballers? Common, let’s stop being too harsh on these players. You forgot to mention that he played on a very bad pitch in sierra leone and no goal was scored from his side
Valid points made by Abo and Glory, it’s good to see your intelligent minds make meaningful contributions void of hate and insults…. Akpoguma is a work in progress with regards to naija, but he will come good, flexibility and adaptability will serve him well if he seeks to command utmost respect for the Super Eagles!
Now I understand, why you have constantly misconstrue my points for bullying.I honestly feel more hurt whenever I see or sense others may have been hurt by my actions. Anyway try to get to d theme of the diction of my first post. I am very sure I didn’t in anyway try to point out that Akpoguma did well in those two SE games. All I was trying to say, is maybe that sense of now knowing where his international future lies is now helping him to focus and get grounded in his game. I have been following him and have observed that his game has kinda been improving really well. Not in any way speaking for him. I watch virtually almost every SE player and always happy to point out any doing well.
I accept your point. If you tell me that, based on what you observed before and after Akpoguma played for Nigeria, his game has improved, then I have no choice than accept your point. Honestly, I have not observed Akpoguma’s game in close quarters as you claimed to have so, I accede. Criticisms are part and parcel of how all fans evaluate players. Some of us just have a unique way of conveying our message. The economic law of Opportunity Cost states that you and I left something else to come on this site to make comments. I don’t think that any of us is paid to do so. Conversely, we comment here at the expense of something else more meaningful that we could have been doing (like sending a lovely message to loved ones). I don’t think anyone should be harassed or called all sorts of names for showing love to the Super Eagles at the expense of something else. But emotions do run high, passions overspill, tensions rise making explosive confrontations all the unavoidable at times. As long as the game will continue, fertile grounds for quarrells will abound. But if we can learn to refocus and channel our energies to what made our worlds collide in the first instance, then maybe we have leant to be more tolerant of others beyond the comment boxes of Complete Sports Nigeria’s articles.
Good talk broda man. I honestly don’t hate anybody but maybe any attempt to destroy others. If anyone is doing that to you, I will definitely attack that one. It’s my nature’s curve,just can’t help it. I attack such perceived attempt, wherein I maybe wrong in my judgment but it’s just that I hate that pulling him down attitude. I got ripped in my heart noticing how Victor Moses was skillfully reduce to almost a broken player during that 2014 world. Every innocent person there I may have misjudged and feeling hurt about that should forgive me for my wrong judgement but I ain’t promising I am not going attack any such perceived attempt next time though. One love brother not a pinch of hard feelings. God bless.
Gosh….may be as a poet myself which is why I easily fall in love with beautiful write ups! Thumbs up man. Just like Hush, like Deo….prolific writers who don’t recourse to ‘roforofo’ fights in order yo present their points!