George Ilenikhena had a fantastic outing on Saturday, scoring twice to inspire AS Monaco to a well-deserved victory in their Coupe de France clash against US Orléans.

Ilenikhena came off the bench to net a late brace, helping Monaco secure a 3–1 win at the Stade de la Source, Footballrover reports.

George Ilenikhena seizes the moment after long scoring drought

The 19-year-old Nigerian forward has struggled for playing time in recent weeks, often being left on the bench or limited to just a few minutes in Monaco’s matches.

He last found the back of the net on September 21, 2025, when he scored to seal a 5–2 victory over Metz.

Since then, he had gone nearly four months and 17 games without a single goal contribution.

While Ilenikhena stole the spotlight, another Nigerian-born forward, Folarin Balogun, was also on target for Monaco.

Monaco, having already eliminated Auxerre, faced a confident National 1 side on a four-match winning run.

Sébastien Pocognoli travelled with 11 absentees but welcomed back Eric Dier while sticking with a 4-4-2 diamond led by Mika Biereth and Folarin Balogun.

Orléans started strongly and created several clear chances, only to be repeatedly denied by an outstanding Philipp Köhn.

Against the run of play, Balogun opened the scoring on 27 minutes, finishing calmly after a Denis Zakaria assist.

Monaco were reduced to ten men before half-time following Stanis Idumbo’s dismissal.

Under pressure after the break, Monaco defended resolutely, again relying on Köhn.

Late substitutions proved decisive as George Ilenikhena struck twice on the counter in the 88th and 94th minutes to seal qualification.

Before Orléans grabbed a late consolation. Monaco now turn their focus back to Ligue 1 as they prepare to face Lorient on Friday.

Deputy and Gbadamosi also shine in Iraq Super League action

Away from France, it was a busy day in the Iraq Super League with two eye-catching individual goal contributions from former Rivers United winger Echeta Deputy and Ibrahim Gbadamosi.

Deputy was on the scoresheet as Zakho FC played out an entertaining 2–2 draw at home to Baghdad, opening the scoring and setting the tone for a competitive contest.

Elsewhere, Gbadamosi also made his mark, finding the net in Al Zawraa’s 2–2 away draw against Naft Missan. His goal ensured Al Zawraa stayed in the game during a hard-fought encounter on the road.

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Last Updated on January 12, 2026 5:06 am by footballrover