AFCON 2025
Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey had a performance he wouldn’t want to remember for a long time against Newcastle United over the weekend.
Calvin Bassey was a shadow of himself against the Magpies at St. James’ Park on Saturday afternoon, despite receiving praise from his manager, Marco Silva, before the match.
The Portuguese manager hailed Bassey as the quickest and most agile defender in his squad – some of the qualities that earned him Fulham’s Player of the Year last season.
However, Bassey’s performance against Newcastle earned him an unwanted record in the Premier League this season.
The former Rangers and Ajax defender committed two errors leading to goals in the match, the joint most in the league this season.
Calvin Bassey’s first error came in the 18th minute as he was dispossessed by Super Eagles-eligible Jacob Murphy, who drove towards goal before unleashing a low drive into the back of the net to put Newcastle ahead.
His second came late in the game as Anthony Elanga intercepted his misplaced pass.
The former Manchester United forward found William Osula, who charged into the box and forced a save off Bernd Leno.
Unfortunately, the former Arsenal goalie parried the ball towards Bruno Guimaraes. The Brazilian midfielder slammed home the rebound to give Newcastle a late win.
Calvin Bassey Bassey now ranks among the players with the most errors leading to goals in the division, alongside Emmanuel Agbadou (Wolves), Jean-Ricner Bellegarde (Wolves), and Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest), with each making two errors.
Meanwhile, the central defender is expected to be in action for the Super Eagles against Gabon in the World Cup playoffs next month.
