“It’s a blessing” – Everything Calvin Bassey said after scoring against Manchester United

Super Eagles and Fulham defender, Calvin Chinedu Bassey, was delighted as his side defeated Manchester United to claim a quarter final spot in the FA Cup, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 25-year-old opened his FA Cup goalscoring account on his debut in the competition, scoring a brilliant header in the closing minutes of the first half at Old Trafford.

BASSSEYYY!
Old Trafford is silenced as Calvin Bassey has his first FA Cup goal in his first-ever FA Cup game for @FulhamFC ⚪️#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/VZZub4sUam
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) March 2, 2025

Bassey put in a brilliant shift against Ruben Amorim’s side, playing all 120 minutes as Fulham secured a 4-3 victory on penalties.

Calvin Bassey, Andreas Pereira, Alex Iwobi, Rodrigo Muniz, Timothy Castagne, and Sander Berge celebrate Bassey’s opening goal 1-0 during the Manchester United FC v Fulham FC Emirates FA Cup Round 5 match at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, on 2 March 2025. [Photo Credit/ Imago].

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Speaking after the game, the former Rangers defender was delighted to have gotten one over the Reds at the Theatre of Dreams. Additionally, Bassey revealed that he wants to score more goals.

“It’s a privilege and an honour to be here. To come here, it is a blessing, so I’m happy. I like to say I’m a bit of poacher. Trying to smell where the ball would go and reacted first. Put my head on it and back of the net.
“They [Manchester United] are a very good team with a lot of talent. We tried to take the sting out of the game and control possession. They had their chances and sometimes a game goes down to penalties. We had a bit of fortune in the penalties with Leno saving two. I am proud of every single player,” the Super Eagles defender said in an interview with BBC.

Bruno Fernandes and Calvin Bassey battle for possession of the ball during the Manchester United FC v Fulham FC Emirates FA Cup Round 5 match at Old Trafford, Manchester, England. [Photo Credit/ Imago].

Bernd Leno saved two penalties during the shoot out, denying Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee from twelve yards, and his theatrics thrilled Bassey.

“He has been amazing. He has kept us in games so many times. He deserves the recognition. We’re buzzing and we take each game as it comes.
“That’s the best way to take each game. Don’t get too down with the losses, and don’t let the wins get to your head,” Bassey concluded.

2nd March 2025 Old Trafford, Manchester, England FA Cup Fifth Round Football. ManU versus Fulham Fulham players celebrate with their goalkeeper Bernd Leno, who saved two penalties to win the match 5-3 in the penalty shoot out. [Photo Credit/ Imago].

Calvin Bassey was incredible at both ends of the pitch for @FulhamFC today #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/xWdIlwGMKm
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) March 2, 2025

Leno, in response, was ecstatic he was able to help his team secure a victory. The former Arsenal man now has his gaze fixed on a place in Wembley.

“Unbelievable. I think we deserved to win after 90 minutes. Of course, penalties it is sometimes a lottery, and luckily we won. The goalie coach told me some information, but my feeling is more important. I went the wrong way three times, but credit to our penalty takers – it is not easy. Brilliant job from all of us.”
“100% We want to go to Wembley again. Two-years ago we lost in the quarter final [against Manchester United] and we’re in the quarter final again.”

Fulham made history by beating United away in an FA Cup fixture for the first time by winning 4-3 on penalties, and can now dream of winning a major trophy as their already brilliant season gets even better. They face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup quarter-final.

Adefolahan Guerreiro

Adefolahan is a multilingual journalist and writer at Soccernet Nigeria.

With a track record of involvement in College sports, Adefolahan is focused on crafting engaging football content and utilising his language skills and extensive sports knowledge to enhance content accessibility for a global audience.

He has interviewed Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.