Chukwueze bags assist as Villarreal reaches Europa League quarter-finals

Samuel Chukwueze provided an assist as Villarreal defeated Dynamo Kyiv 2-0 in the second leg Round of 16 of the Europa League game on Thursday night.

The fleet-footed winger was handed his sixth appearance in the European competition and delivered an impressive performance to help his side advance into the quarter-finals of the tournament 4-0 on aggregate.

Chukwueze started the encounter along with Étienne Capoue, Dani Parejo and Manuel Trigueros in the midfield.

The Nigeria international hit the ground running and wasted no time announcing himself when he set up Gerard Moreno in the 13th minute to open the scoring.

Moreno then doubled the Yellow Submarine’s lead with a fine finish after receiving a timely assist from Parejo in the 36th minute.

After the restart, Villarreal pushed for more goals but Dynamo Kyiv resisted their effort to ensure the encounter ended in a respectable scoreline.

Chukwueze featured for 71 minutes of the game and made a significant contribution before he was replaced by Alejandro Baena.

The Nigeria international had 41 touches on the ball, made two key passes, completed two dribbles and made four crosses in the encounter.

The forward has now made 28 appearances for the Yellow Submarine across all competitions this season, scoring two goals and providing five assists, amid other dazzling displays.

Chukwueze will hope to continue his impressive performances when Villarreal take on Cadiz in their next league game on Sunday.

The winger was promoted to the Yellow Submarine’s first team in 2018 and has since played more than 80 games for the La Liga club.

The forward will be expected to replicate his fine club performances for Nigeria in their 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying games against the Republic of Benin and Lesotho later this month.

Chukwueze has made 17 appearances for the three-time African champions since making his debut in 2018 against Uganda.