Salim Lawal scores in Viktoria Plzeň victory

Salim Lawal opened the scoring on Sunday for Viktoria Plzeň as the club moved into third place in Czechia’s top flight Chance Liga with a 3-0 victory at FC Hradec Králové.

𝑺𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒎 𝑳𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒍 potrestal nedoraz v hradecké obraně a protrhnul plzeňskou střeleckou smůlu. ✅#OneplaySport | #ChanceLiga pic.twitter.com/a2maNYrcBw

— Oneplay Sport (@oneplaysportcz) March 8, 2026

The Nigerian forward put his impressive pace on full display close to halftime by outrunning an opposition defender to run onto a long ball before poking his finish past onrushing Hradec Králové goalkeeper Adam Zadražil.

It was a devastating goal for the hosts, who put up a good fight in the first half before Lawal’s goal set the stage for a second half collapse. Plzeň went on to double their lead less than three minutes into the second half through Cheick Souaré.

Lawal’s second goal in six matches since joining from Croatian club Istra 1961 continues an up-and-down start to life in Czechia. He opened his account for the club in a 2-1 road victory at Sigma Olomouc on February 14 before going four matches without a goal as Plzeň were eliminated from the UEFA Europa League.

The member of Nigeria’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations squad made way for another promising forward, Guinean Mohamed Touré, shortly after the hour mark before Tomáš Ladra finished off the scoring in the 66th minute. It was a Chance Liga debut for Touré, who made his debut in a MOL Cup quarterfinal defeat three days prior as a halftime substitute.

Lawal arrived at his current club from Croatia for a substantial transfer fee of €2.4 million soon after debuting for the Nigeria senior team in a pre-AFCON friendly against Egypt. He went on to make a brief substitute appearance in the finals against Uganda. The 23-year-old previously represented Nigeria at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup where he produced one goal in five appearances.