Nigerian midfielder Onuche Ogbelu played the full 90 minutes for Tunisian giants Esperance in their 2-0 loss to Flamengo in the Group D opener of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
The match, played in the early hours of Monday Nigerian time, saw the Brazilian side dominate from start to finish at the Lincoln Financial Field.
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Goals from Giorgian De Arrascaeta and Luiz Araujo were enough to seal a comfortable win for Flamengo, who wasted no time asserting their superiority in front of a sparse crowd on a chilly evening in Philadelphia.
Despite the loss, former Fosla Academy graduate Ogbelu stood out with his energetic display in midfield.
The 22-year-old Nigerian displayed composure, intelligence, and physicality—disrupting Flamengo’s rhythm at intervals, making key tackles, and initiating several transitional plays for Esperance.
His efforts, however, were not enough to prevent a defeat as Esperance only managed two shots on target. The North African side enjoyed their best spell after halftime, with Algerian international Youcef Belaili forcing two big saves from Flamengo keeper Augustin Rossi.
The loss leaves Esperance needing a positive result in their next fixture against Los Angeles FC, who also lost 2-0 to Chelsea in the group’s other encounter.
In February 2023, Ogbelu was selected in the final Nigerian squad for the CAF U20 African Cup of Nations held in Egypt where he helped the team to reach third place.
The former Nasarawa United player also got the attention of Jose Peseiro in February 2023 as he was selected Ogbelu among four U-20 players to train with his team before their African Cup of Nations qualifying matches.
