Odion Ighalo got off the mark for Changchun Yatai in the Chinese Super League on Saturday but his goals counted for nothing with his team losing 3-2 to Obafemi Martins's Shanghai Shenhua.
After he was fouled in the box, Ighalo kept his cool to convert a penalty in the 40th minute to equalize for Changchun Yatai.
Five minutes after the restart, the former Watford star tapped home from close range to put the finishing touch on a counter-attacking move and bagged his brace in the process.
The game was heading for a draw until the 88th minute when Giovanni Andres Moreno popped up to score the winner after he was teed up by Martins.
Whilst the ex-Inter Milan and Newcastle United star lasted the distance on his first appearance of this season, Ighalo subbed out in the 73rd minute with the game tied at 2-2.
Odion Ighalo is the top earning Nigerian professional footballer, with guaranteed wages of more than €12.1 million per season,followed by Martins who takes home €8.4 million every year.