Brentford’s brilliant performance in the EFL League Cup was at the expense of a Super Eagles star’s team.
Super Eagles defender Bright Osayi-Samuel endured a complete nightmare on Tuesday evening as Birmingham City were utterly humiliated in a 6-1 EFL Cup defeat to Brentford.
The 28-year-old Nigeria international was handed a dismal 5.4 match rating by statistical platform SofaScore following the second-round thrashing at St. Andrew’s.
That horrific rating ranked as the lowest score given to any starting player or substitute from a Birmingham perspective on the night.
Shambolic display at St. Andrew’s
The Championship outfit were completely overwhelmed by their Premier League opponents from the very first whistle.
Demarai Gray managed to briefly level the scoring for Birmingham late in the first half with a stoppage-time penalty.
However, the visiting Bees relentlessly punished a porous home defence, with Nathan Collins bagging a brace during a completely one-sided affair. Aaron Hickey, Mikkel Damsgaard, Callum Wilson and Igor Thiago were the other scorers for Keith Andrew’s side.
Osayi-Samuel played the full duration, despite struggling to cope with the sheer pace and movement of the Brentford attackers. He also received a yellow card for a foul in the tie.
His poor cup outing immediately followed a shaky defensive display during Birmingham’s 2-2 Championship draw against Bristol City just three days prior.
Concerning form for Nigeria
The defender’s dip in form will certainly raise alarm bells for Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle. The next international break arrives in less than a month (September 21 – October 6), and while fixtures have yet to be confirmed for Nigeria, Chelle will undoubtedly be paying attention to the form of his players.
Osayi-Samuel has been a reliable fixture for the national team since making his debut in 2022, notably helping the squad reach the 2023 AFCON final and 2025 WAFCON semi-final.