Onuachu scores 27th goal of the season in Genk’s victory over Anderlecht

Paul Onuachu scored his 27th goal of the season to help Genk secure a 2-1 victory over Anderlecht in Sunday’s Belgian Cup tie.

The centre-forward has been in blistering form for the Blue and White this season and against the Purple and White, he increased his tally.

The Nigeria international was handed his 31st appearance across all competitions this campaign and helped his side continue in their winning ways.

Onuachu opened the scoring in the 17th minute of the encounter with a fine finish after receiving a timely assist from Daniel Munoz.

The 26-year-old centre-forward came close to double his side’s lead in the 34th minute but his strike missed the target.

Matt Miazga then turned the ball into his own net moments before the hour mark to help John van den Brom’s men increase their lead.

Genk were reduced to 10 men in the 71st minute after Jhon Lucumi was shown a straight red card for serious foul play and Anderlecht capitalized on their numerical advantage to reduce the deficit through Adrien Trebel.

Onuachu has now scored two goals in the Cup competition for the Luminus Arena outfit.

The centre-forward will be expected to continue his eye-catching displays when Genk take on Standard Liege in their next league game on March 19.

Onuachu teamed up with the Blue and White in the summer of 2019 from Danish club Midtjylland and has been delivering impressive performances.

Genk are currently third on the Belgian First Division A table and the Super Eagles forward will hope to help his side finish the season on a high.

Onuachu was recently omitted from Nigeria’s 24-man squad that will take on the Republic of Benin and Lesotho in the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers later this month.

The in-form attacker was named in the Super Eagles standby list to the surprise of many fans, who took to social media to express their displeasure on the decision by Gernot Rohr.

The 26-year-old has, however, struggled to make an impact with the three-time African champions, having only scored one goal since his debut in 2019.