Olayinka Ends Seven-Game Drought to Equal Nwankwo Kanu’s Nigerian UEFA Record

Peter Olayinka hadn’t scored in seven games. He picked the right moment to end that.

The Nigerian winger came up with his third goal for APOEL Nicosia in a chaotic 3-3 draw against Pafos, restoring his side’s two-goal advantage in the 74th minute before injury-time goals from Derrick Luckassen snatched the equaliser. It was a result that stung — but the individual milestone stands.

Olayinka now has 81 UEFA club competition appearances — level with Nwankwo Kanu for the most by any Nigerian player in history. His record spans 32 Europa League matches, 28 Champions League appearances, and 21 Conference League games across clubs including Slavia Praha and Crvena Zvezda.

He hasn’t played for the Super Eagles since January 2022. But the record books don’t care about that.