Onuachu bags 25th goal of the season to inspire Genk to victory over Sporting Charleroi

Paul Onuachu scored his 25th goal of the season to inspire Genk to a 2-1 victory over Sporting Charleroi in Friday’s Belgian First Division A game.

The forward has been delivering sparkling performances this season and against the Zebras, he was handed his 26th league start.

The 26-year-old made the most of the opportunity to score his 24th league goal and take his tally to 25 strikes across all competitions in this campaign.

Onuachu’s efforts helped John van den Brom’s men return to winning ways after losing to KV Oostende and Beerschot last time out.

Genk started the game impressively, dominating proceedings and were rewarded for their displays when they were awarded a penalty in the 17th minute.

Nigeria international, Onuachu, was afforded the chance to take the penalty kick and swiftly dispatched his effort into the back of the net to hand his side the lead.

After the restart of the game, Charleroi made a spirited effort to try and avoid defeat in the encounter and levelled matters in the 52nd minute through Ali Gholizadeh.

With seven minutes to the end of the game, Kristian Thorstvedt scored the matchwinning goal after receiving a timely assist from Gerardo Arteaga.

Onuachu featured for 80 minutes before making way for his compatriot Cyriel Dessers, who was making his 22nd league appearance this season.

Senegal’s Mamadou Fall was on parade for 19 minutes after replacing Jordan Rolly Botaka but could not help his side to avoid defeat.

Fall’s teammate and Ivory Coast international Cedric Kipre was an unused substitute along with Morocco’s Amine Benchaib.

The victory moved Genk to the third spot on the league table after gathering 46 points from 29 games behind Royal Antwerp FC and leaders Club Brugge.

Onuachu will hope to continue his blistering performances for the Blue and White when they take on Mechelen on March 4.

The 26-year-old has struggled to replicate his club performances with the Super Eagles, having only scored one goal since making his debut in 2019.

Onuachu will be expected to make the list for Nigeria’s 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against the Republic of Benin and Lesotho in March.