Nigeria international Samuel Kalu scored one of the best goals of his career as Bordeaux beat Le Havre 1-0 at Stade Matmut-Atlantique on Wednesday night to progress to the next round of the Coupe de la Ligue.

With the scoreline goalless, Kalu's magnificent right-footed curling shot from just outside the area stunned the visitors and sent Bordeaux into the semifinals of the League Cup.

The former Gent star has been criticized since his summer move to Bordeaux as he has failed to fill the void left behind by Malcom, who transferred to Barcelona, and would be hoping to silence his critics in 2019.

Kalu's 70th minute golazo was only his third strike for Les Girondins after playing 23 games in all competitions.

His spot in Bordeaux starting eleven seems shaky as he has started only three of the last ten matches played by the team in the Ligue 1.

Bordeaux, who have won the Coupe de la Ligue three times, will know their next opponents in the competition (Monaco, Strasbourg or Guingamp) on Thursday night.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel