Oseni: 'Bargain' of Song Lam Nghe An

Nomad with a glorious past

Few people know that Oseni was one of the players who defeated goalkeeper David De Gea (Manchester United) on penalties in the 2007 U17 World Cup final. The tournament in which Oseni and his teammates defeated U17 France, U17 Colombia, U17 Argentina, U17 Germany and of course U17 Spain to win the U17 World Cup. Over his 15-year playing career, this Nigerian player born in 1991 has played for 15 clubs and Song Lam Nghe An is the 16th club he has played for.

Oseni was the top scorer in the National Championship in 2018 with 17 goals. Photo: Internet

In the list of clubs in Asia, Africa, Europe, some unknown, some famous, Vietnam is where he spent most of his football career. And it was when he joined the Hanoi club in V-League 2017 that Oseni was like a "fish in water". 41 goals after 53 matches on all fronts brought Oseni to his first titles. The 2018 V-League championship and the V-League top scorer with 17 goals affirmed the value of the Nigerian striker.

However, a serious injury at V-League 2019 broke the relationship between Hanoi and Oseni. After more than 2 years of leaving Vietnam, he returned to the S-shaped land from the beginning of the V-League 2022 season. It seemed that Oseni would once again wear the Hanoi Club shirt. However, the unexpected change on the coaching bench made Oseni no longer in the capital team's plan, instead there were new contracts from Europe.

Having a relationship with Song Lam Nghe An

Seizing that opportunity, the leadership of Song Lam Nghe An quicklysigned a contract with Osenireplacing striker Basit - who scored 1 goal after 2 matches in V-League but did not contribute much to the team's play. Having Oseni helps Song Lam Nghe An have a true "killer" in the penalty area.

Oseni quickly found a common voice with the duo Olaha and Phan Van Duc, creating a fearsome trident on the attack line of Song Lam Nghe An. With Oseni, Song Lam Nghe An's attacking style became much more diverse and varied. From situations going down the wing, or attacking situations to a quick counter-attack. The advantage of abundant physical strength, good positioning, pressure and diverse finishing are still Oseni's highlights.

From Sy Hoang's assist, Oseni scored in the match between Song Lam Nghe An and Hong Linh Ha Tinh. Photo: Chung Nguyen

Although he has only played 6 matches for Song Lam Nghe An, Oseni has contributed directly to 4 goals for the Nghe team (3 goals, 1 assist). In addition, he has repeatedly "tortured" the opposing defense with his brave yet tricky dribbling. Not only participating in the attack, Oseni also actively participates in the defense with fiery aerial battles and passionate disputes on the opponent's field.

Sharing about his new home Song Lam Nghe An, Oseni said: “As soon as Song Lam Nghe An offered to sign a contract, I immediately agreed, because I was eager to play on the field and compete, and Song Lam Nghe An is a big team in the V-League”. The Nigerian player also felt that Nghe An fans were hospitable and warm. The affection of his new teammates, especially the young players, made him feel that the Nghe An team was his second family, and that had a huge impact on his performance on the field.

The day of reunion with the old team

WithLam River Nghe An, Hanoi is one of the teams with the best defense in V-League at the moment (only conceded 6 goals). Although Song Lam Nghe An was the team that won the most recent confrontation, the head-to-head record in the last 10 matches, the Nghe team is completely inferior (8 losses - 1 draw - 1 win). The match between Hanoi Club and Song Lam Nghe An this weekend will be the top match on the V-League rankings, where there is no room for mistakes and the players must take full advantage of the opportunities they have.

Oseni in the first days of training with his teammates at Song Lam Nghe An. Photo: Chung Nguyen

In the upcoming match against Hanoi Club, Oseni and his teammates at Song Lam Nghe An will have to try their best to penetrate a famous defense with many players who are and have been national team players (Tan Truong, Van Kien, Duy Manh, Thanh Chung, Bui Hoang Viet Anh, Doan Van Hau). And this is also an opportunity for Oseni to prove to the capital team that his time is not over, he is still one of the excellent "explosives" of V-League.

Before this special match, when asked how he felt about meeting his old team Hanoi Club, Oseni said: “This is a big match for me and the whole team. Song Lam Nghe An and Hanoi Club are both strong teams and have their own advantages. We will try our best to win.”

It can be saidOseniis a reasonable move of the Nghe team's leadership and has partly solved the foreign player worries of Song Lam Nghe An for many years. If he continues to maintain his form as shown, Oseni will be one of the important factors helping Song Lam Nghe An have a good position on the V-League 2022 rankings.