Balogun's Wigan boost Championship survival hopes with draw against Charlton

BetOdds African All Stars Championship Wigan Athletic Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic v Wigan Athletic Leon-Aderemi Balogun

The Nigeria international was handed his ninth league appearance and made a key contribution as his side shared the spoils with the Bees

Leon Balogun featured as Wigan Athletic played out a 2-2 draw with Charlton Athletic in Saturday’s Championship game to boost their survival hopes.

The Latics were recently handed a 12-point deduction after they went into administration which they have appealed but in the meantime, the players have continued to show their resolve to ensure the club survive relegation.

After inflicting a heavy 8-0 defeat to Hull City last time out, manager Paul Cook rallied his players to another positive result at the Valley with the Super Eagles star playing a crucial role in the encounter.

Balogun was afforded his ninth Championship appearance and made the most of the opportunity with his decent defensive displays.

Jamal Lowe put Wigan in front in the ninth minute before Alfie Doughty levelled proceedings two minutes later after benefitting from Adam Matthews’ assist.

Kieran Dowell then restored the lead for the Latics, however, Anglo-Nigerian Chuks Aneke set up Macauley Bonne with a timely assist to score the equalising goal.

Balogun featured for the duration of the game along with Egypt international and Wigan captain Sam Morsy. The Super Eagles defender made two tackles and won five aerial contests in the match.

With the draw, the DW Stadium outfit are now 13 points clear of the relegation zone and will hope to secure all three points against Fulham in their last league game on July 22.

Balogun joined the Latics in January on a short-term loan after failing to enjoy game time with Premier League club Brighton and Hove Albion.

The 32-year-old then teamed up with the DW Stadium outfit until the end of the 2019-20 season and will hope to help them avoid relegation at the end of the season.

The defender has spent most of his career in Germany, playing for Hannover 96, Werder Bremen, Fortuna Dusseldorf and Mainz 05, among others.

Balogun has been with the Super Eagles since 2014 and has 32 caps for the three-time African champions since making his debut against Mexico.

The centre-back was part of Gernot Rohr’s team that finished third at 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, behind Senegal and Algeria, who won the title.

2020-07-18 18:00:04

Comments

Send Your Comment

Download Application