Two Super Eagles midfielders found themselves on opposite ends of the form spectrum on Serie A’s final day, with Fisayo Dele-Bashiru producing one of his best displays of the season for Lazio while Ebenezer Akinsanmiro endured a forgettable afternoon for the relegated Pisa.
Lazio closed out their 2025-26 campaign with a 2-1 home victory over Pisa at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, with Dele-Bashiru’s beautifully taken equaliser and a Pedro winner completing a comeback after Pisa had taken a surprise early lead, as reported by FootballInNigeria.com.ng. Lazio finished the season in ninth place, while Pisa ended it at the foot of the table, relegated back to Serie B after just one season in the top flight.
The result was Pedro’s farewell from Lazio after several years of service, with the former Chelsea and Barcelona winger scoring the decisive goal on his final appearance for the club. For the two Nigerian players involved, the afternoon told two very different stories about where each man stands as the summer approaches.
How the Match Unfolded at the Stadio Olimpico
Lazio dominated the early exchanges and created a string of chances, only to be repeatedly denied by Pisa goalkeeper Adrian Semper. Adam Marusic struck the post with a powerful effort as the home side pressed for an opener that would not come. Pisa made them pay for their profligacy when Michel Aebischer delivered a cross and Stefano Moreo headed home unmarked inside the box to give the already-relegated visitors a shock lead.
The response came almost immediately. Reda Belahyane drove forward on the left and played a crisp pass into the penalty area where Dele-Bashiru received the ball, produced a sharp turn to beat his marker, and fired low past Semper from close range. Two minutes later, Pedro completed the turnaround with a composed finish to give Lazio a 2-1 lead at the break. There were no further goals in the second half despite Semper producing more fine stops, and Lazio closed out a winning end to a middling season.
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Dele-Bashiru Earns Joint Highest Rating on the Day
The 25 year old’s display against Pisa was one of the more complete performances he has produced in a Lazio shirt this season. According to Sofascore, he earned a rating of 7.9, the joint highest in the match alongside Pedro. He completed 93 percent of his passes, created two chances, made four recoveries, and won a duel before being replaced by Adrian Przyborek in the 82nd minute.
It was a fitting note to end the campaign on for a player who found consistent minutes hard to come by in 2025-26. Dele-Bashiru made 22 Serie A appearances across the season but started only 10 of them, accumulating 987 league minutes in total. The Lazio he joined permanently in July 2025, when the club activated his loan obligation for 5.4 million euros, has been a club in transition, and his ability to contribute meaningfully from the bench or when called upon as a starter gives him a solid platform to build from next term.
Akinsanmiro Endures a Difficult Final-Day Farewell
Akinsanmiro’s performance stood in sharp contrast. The 21-year-old was substituted at halftime after a difficult first 45 minutes in which he struggled to impose himself on the game. He completed 87 percent of his passes and made three recoveries, but could not influence the contest in any meaningful attacking sense. His Sofascore rating of 6.4 reflected an honest assessment of a game that never got going for him.
The evening may well have been his last for Pisa, though his future beyond this summer is far from settled. The situation is complicated. Pisa have exercised their 7 million euro purchase option to sign Akinsanmiro permanently from Inter Milan. However, Inter are expected to immediately trigger their 8 million euro buyback clause, meaning control of the player would revert to the Nerazzurri. That development leaves his next destination as one of the more intriguing transfer storylines of the Italian summer, with several clubs likely to enter the picture once Inter’s intentions are fully confirmed.
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Both Players Called Up by Chelle Ahead of Different Schedules
Despite the different performances on the final day, both players have earned places in Eric Chelle’s Super Eagles setup for the coming weeks. Akinsanmiro will link up with the squad for the Unity Cup tournament, with Nigeria set to face Zimbabwe in the opener on Tuesday. Dele-Bashiru will join later, after the Unity Cup concludes, and feature in the friendly matches against Poland and Portugal scheduled for June.
The staggered call-up schedule reflects the different roles Chelle envisages for each player at this point in the national team’s rebuild. Akinsanmiro has been one of the more eye-catching inclusions in the expanded squad throughout the season, while Dele-Bashiru has steadily consolidated his place in the senior group since his debut in 2023. Both will be hoping strong Unity Cup and friendly displays push their claims for a bigger role as the 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign intensifies. Fans backing the Eagles in those fixtures can find all available promotions at Bet9ja’s sign-up bonus page before kick-off.
📌 Did You Know?
- Fisayo Dele-Bashiru’s full name is Oluwafisayo Faruq Dele-Bashiru. He was born in England on February 6, 2001, and came through Manchester City’s youth academy from 2009 to 2020 before beginning his professional career at Sheffield Wednesday.
- Dele-Bashiru joined Lazio on loan from Turkish Super Lig club Hatayspor in July 2024, with the loan containing an obligation to buy. Lazio confirmed the purchase for 5.4 million euros in their March 2025 half yearly financial report, signing him on a contract that runs until June 2028.
- Ebenezer Akinsanmiro was born on November 25, 2004 in Lagos, Nigeria. He began his career at the Beyond Limits Football Academy before joining Remo Stars, the club that sold him to Inter Milan in January 2023 after he impressed at the Viareggio Cup tournament in Italy.
- When Inter Milan signed Akinsanmiro from Remo Stars in 2023, they reportedly beat Real Madrid and Benfica to his signature, indicating how highly the teenager was regarded across European football even before his professional career was fully underway.
- Pisa’s relegation at the end of the 2025-26 season meant they spent just one season in Serie A after winning promotion from Serie B the previous year. They finished bottom of the table with only two wins and a run of nine consecutive league defeats to close the campaign.
- Pedro Rodriguez, whose winner sealed Lazio’s final-day victory and who scored in his farewell appearance for the club, won the UEFA Champions League with Barcelona in 2015 and played for both Barcelona and Chelsea before joining Lazio in 2020.
- Lazio finished the 2025-26 Serie A season in ninth place with a record of 13 wins, 12 draws, and 10 defeats. It was a significant step down from the previous season when they had been competing for European places deep into the campaign.
