Ligue 1: Super Eagles winger Simon scores first goal in 287 days as Nantes beat Auxerre

Super Eagles winger Moses Simon scored his first goal in 287 days for club and country as Nantes defeated Auxerre 2-0 in a French Ligue 1 match on Sunday evening.

The last time Simon scored in an official match was on November 12, 2023, until his goal in today's fixture at Stade de la Beaujoire.

Aided by former Liverpool midfielder Pedro Chirivella in the 14th minute, the 29-year-old opened the scoring with a ferocious strike to the top right corner from outside the box.

He came close to setting up the second at the half hour mark with a cross into the penalty area which was met by Sorba Thomas who couldn't direct his effort towards goal.

The versatile forward got the chance to bag a brace early on in the second half from a free-kick but was denied by Auxerre goalkeeper Donovan Leon.

Three minutes before the hour mark, Thomas put the ball in the back of the net but his effort was ruled out for offside by the Video Assistant Referee to deny Nantes from getting a two-goal cushion.

Six minutes into the stoppage time, Bahereba Guirassy finally gave Nantes a two-goal lead, weaving past his marker before unleashing an unstoppable shot into the back of the net.

Simon was substituted in the 78th minute and was replaced by Guadeloupe midfielder Marcus Coco.

He picked up an injury during Nigeria's friendly with Mali in March which ruled him out for the rest of last campaign as he didn't return to competitive action till the Ligue 1 opener against Toulouse last weekend.

The former Levante forward   is in contention to be named in the Nigeria squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification games against Benin and Rwanda.

Abdulkareem Abdulhamid

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