Football: Nigeria and Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi showing 'positive' outlook after surgery
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Awoniyi returns to City Ground for season finale
After avoiding relegation from the Premier League by the slenderest of margins last season, Nottingham Forest were the most improved team in the English top flight in 2024-25 by some distance, but Reds’ fans were given a major scare in their penultimate home match of the campaign.
During the Tricky Trees’ Monday night league fixture against Leicester City, Nigeria international Taiwo Awoniyi suffered what turned out to be a life-threatening abdominal injury after colliding with the upright in the dying moments of the team's 2-2 draw against the Foxes, a result that defied most Premier League predictions.
With the score level and Nuno Espirito Santo’s team going all out for a go-ahead goal in hopes of keeping their Champions League qualification hopes alive, Awoniyi attempted to get on the end of a cross from Anthony Elanga, which led to him crashing into the opposition's post.
The 27-year-old Super Eagles forward was treated by club medics on the field and was cleared to play. However, he was in visible discomfort for the remainder of the match and was taken to the hospital following the final whistle.
Awoniyi was rushed into an emergency surgery where he was put in an induced coma to undergo treatment for what was later revealed to be a ruptured intestine, which was considered a “life-threatening condition” by medical personnel.
Thankfully, the striker’s surgery was a success, and he was released from the hospital later in the week. Awoniyi took to Instagram following the incident, where he wrote:
"This season has been one of the most difficult of my career but through it all, I have felt the love. With the grace of God, I am grateful to still be here, to still be fighting, to still be smiling, and to be in good spirits. I'm with you all the way and I can't wait to be back out there with the boys doing what I love."
Forest’s players donned club training kits with Awoniyi’s name on the back and the message “We’re all with you Taiwo” to show their support for the Nigerian striker in their final away game of the season against West Ham United, which they won 2-1 thanks to goals by Morgan Gibbs-White and Nikola Milenkovic.
From the verge of relegation to Europe
Nottingham Forest entered the final day of the season right in the thick of the battle for Champions League qualification and set to face Chelsea, who were just one point above them in the standings.
The Reds started the match on the front foot, and they almost took the lead moments before the interval when Chris Wood was picked out with an inch-perfect cross by Ola Aina, but the New Zealander poked his effort over the crossbar, sending the teams into the break level.
Chelsea emerged from the tunnel and stepped up their performance in a big way in the second half, and within five minutes of the restart, Levi Colwill tapped into an empty net, propelling the Blues into the Champions League next season. The Blues will contest the Conference League final in midweek, and our Betis vs Chelsea prediction is available online.
The defeat to Enzo Maresca’s side meant that Forest were pushed down to seventh place in the final league standings, which will see them compete in the Europa Conference League next season.
While understandably slightly disappointed to miss out on qualifying for Europe’s premier cup competition, the 2024-25 season was still a memorable one for the Reds, especially after the team were docked points last term and entered this campaign as one of the favourites to be relegated.
