Rio Ngumoha bai jefa kowane kwallon ba, amma dare na Talata a Anfield nashi ne. Wannan ɗan wasa mai shekaru 18 ya zama fitaccen ɗan wasa a filin wasa lokacin da Liverpool suka farfado daga bayan kwallayen biyu don doke Villarreal da 4-3 a UEFA Champions League, inda aka ba shi kyautar mafi kyawun ɗan wasa a wasan da UEFA ta bayar, a cikin wasan da cike yake da jaruntaka da kwarewa ta asali.

Wasan da za a tuna da shi

Liverpool sun kasance mara ƙarfi da rashin shirye-shirye a yawancin rabin farko, suna baya da kwallayen biyu ba tare da wani alamar fata ba — har sai Ngumoha ya ɗauki alhakin yanayin. Bayan Alexis Mac Allister ya rage raunin, Ngumoha ya sami sarari ya aika da wata kyakkyawar ƙwallon da Ronald Araujo ya yi amfani da ita don daidaita.

Bayan hutun rabin lokaci, ya wuce Sergi Cardona da daɗi kafin ya shimfiɗa wa Mac Allister ƙwallon da ya sa Liverpool su jagoranta a karon farko a wasan. Lokacin da aka cire Ngumoha a minti na 74 — Bradley Barcola ya maye gurbinsa — an riga an ji rera «Rio, Rio, Rio» sau da yawa daga ko'ina a Anfield.

Mai tsaron raga Alisson ya rungumi matashi tare da ƙauna yayin da murnar masu kallo ta mamaye filin. "Yana cikin mafi kyawun wasannin da na buga," in ji Ngumoha ga Amazon Prime. "Kowane lokaci da na karɓi ƙwallon kuma akwai damar yin daya da ɗaya ko biyu da ɗaya, ina gaskata da kaina. Zan ci gaba da tafiya kuma in kasance mai yanke hukunci."

Lambobi a bayan sihiri

Ƙididdiga sun tabbatar da abin da idanu suka riga sun gani. Ngumoha ya taɓa ƙwallon sau 12 a cikin filin abokin hamayyar, ya kammala dribbles bakwai daga takwas da ya yi, kuma ya ba da taimako mai muhimmanci biyu. Duk da haka, lambobin suna ba da rahoton ɓangare ɗaya kawai na labarin — ikon sa na ɗaukar ƙwallon kai tsaye zuwa wajen 'yan kare da kuma ƙirƙira damammaki daga babu komai ya ba Liverpool wata ƙarfi da ba za su samu ba ba tare da shi ba.

Tsohon ɗan wasan Liverpool Daniel Sturridge, yana magana a Amazon Prime, ya yabi Ngumoha ƙwarai da gaske. "Ya kasance mai girma dare yau. Da ƙwallon, wannan matashi yana da yawan iyawa — kuma ina cewa 'matashi', amma yana da shekaru. Yana da inganci mai yawa wanda ba za a iya koyarwa ba. Abin da yake yi da ƙwallon a ƙafafunsa — wai ita ce baiwar Allah."

Daidaitawa a gefen dama

Ngumoha ya girma yana wasa a gefen hagu, amma gasa daga Cody Gakpo da Barcola ta iyakance damarsa a wannan gefen a wannan kakar. Babban koci Andoni Iraola ya tura 'yan wasan sa da ke gefuna su saba da duka gefen biyu, kuma daidaitawar Ngumoha zuwa gefen dama ta kasance mai sauri da ban sha'awa.

"Ina jin kamar na inganta sosai ina wasa can daga wasan Newcastle har yanzu," in ji Ngumoha bayan nasarar Liverpool ta baya a kan Brentford. "Ina fahimtar ta fiye da kowane lokaci. Tafiya tare da England ta taimaka sosai. Ina son wasa a gefuna biyu. Yana ba ni wata kayan aiki ƙarin a cikin akwatina."

Tattaunawar kwantiragin da abin da ke tafe

Iraola ya yabi halin Ngumoha da ƙaruwar ikon jikinsa na jure, yana kuma nanata mahimmancin hankali. "Ya buga sosai a dama kwanan nan kuma yana jin daɗin kusan yanzu, amma yana da shekaru 18 kawai kuma har yanzu bai cika ba," in ji babban koci. "Za a sami abubuwan sama da ƙasa a tsarin, amma ina farin ciki saboda ta fuskar hali ina ganin yana cikin wuri mai kyau."

A halin yanzu Ngumoha yana da kwantiragi tare da Liverpool har zuwa 2028 — kwantiragin da aka sanya hannu a watan Satumba 2025, makonni kaɗan bayan ranar haihuwarsa ta goma sha bakwai. Ana ci gaba da tattaunawar sharuɗɗan mafi kyau, inda ɗan wasan ya nuna a karshen mako cewa tattaunawar na tafiya daidai kuma hannun wakilinsa ne ke jagoranta. A yanzu, yana shirye ya bar ƙwallon sa ta yi magana dominsa — kuma Talata dare da Villarreal, wannan magana ba ta yiwuwa a yi mata watsi.