Portland Timbers striker, Fanendo Adi, staked claim for a starting spot as the Super Eagles prepare to face Egypt by firing a brace for his Major League side against Real Salt Lake on Saturday night.
Adi scored twice in a five-minute stretch over the final 11 minutes to give Portland a 2-2 draw in front of 21,144 fans at Providence Park.
Following forward Dairon Asprilla’s chip that rattled off the crossbar, Adi reacted quickly to pounce on the rebound to score his first of the night in the 79th minute.
The former FC Copenhagen man secured his brace after defender Jamison Olave was sent off for bringing him down in the box, burying his effort from the penalty spot to level the scoreline.
His two strikes took his season’s tally to 28 goals in the regular season – the sixth-most goals netted by any Portland player since the formation of the club in 1975.
Adi’s double also means he has now notched 10 braces since joining Caleb Porter’s side in 2014 – beating the record he earlier shared with McKinley Tennyson, who represented the club from 2002/03.
The 25-year-old netted his first pair of goals in the MLS against Chivas USA on May 25, 2014 before he struck twice against Real Salt Lake 10 days later at the Rio Tinto Stadium.
Nigeria coach, Samson Siasia, will be hoping Adi replicates his club form for country in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against the Pharaohs.
The striker is yet to be capped by Nigeria but could make his debut against the North Africans in Kaduna on Good Friday.
