Nigerian goalkeeper Dele Alampasu breaks into Feirense's starting line-up in Portuguese league

NIGERIAN goalkeeper Dele Alampasu has finally got his big breakthrough in the Portuguese league starting for first division side CD Feirense over the weekend in a Primera Liga game against fellow strugglers Aves.

Alampasu, 22, joined Feirense three years ago but has struggled to break into the first team, which has in turn affected his international career. In 2013, Alampasu represented Nigeria at the U-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, winning the Golden Glove award, having been adjudged to be the best goalkeeper at the tournament which Nigeria won.

He subsequently became highly sought after and in February 2015 signed for Portuguese side Estoril and from there moved to Feirense. In August 2016, Alampasu went put to Cesarense on loan but it now appears that he has finally settled down, making his full derby for his parent club and keeping a clean sheet in the process.

Yesterday's game ended 0-0 in a match in which Alampasu showed good judgement, commanding his penalty area well. Feirense are currently sitting in 17th place in the 18-team Primera Liga with 14 points, while Aves are just one position above them in 16th place with 15 points.

With yesterday's six-pointer ending in a stalemate, Alampasu will be hoping for more opportunities to be part of the fight against relegation. He will be hoping that this also catches the attention of Super eagles manager Gernot Rohr with the African Cup of Nations pending in the summer.

Since joining Feirense, Alampasu has played only twice for the side in the Portuguese Cup and now that he is seeing regular action, will be hoping to challenge Francis Uzoho of Elche in the Spanish second division for Nigeria's number one slot. Uzoho came to international prominence after featuring for Deportivo La Coruna in the Spanish league last season, which earned him an invitation to the Super Eagles camp.