It was a mixed weekend for African footballers in Europe’s top leagues, with some shining while others struggled to find form.
ENGLAND
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – The Egyptian forward endured another difficult Premier League weekend as Liverpool fell 3-0 to Nottingham Forest at Anfield. Salah, who won last season’s Golden Boot with 29 goals, has managed just four goals this campaign. The defeat leaves the Reds 11th after 12 matches, having lost six times. Meanwhile, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland leads the Golden Boot race with 14 goals, and the top African scorer is Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo with six.
Samuel Chukwueze (Fulham) – The Nigerian winger came off the bench to deliver a perfectly weighted cross for Raul Jimenez, securing a late 1-0 win over Sunderland at Craven Cottage. Fellow Nigerians Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi started the match for Fulham.
Lyle Foster & Hannibal Mejbri (Burnley) – Burnley manager Scott Parker introduced South African striker Foster and Tunisian midfielder Mejbri as substitutes in a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea at Turf Moor, but neither could prevent the visitors from extending their lead late in the match.
GERMANY
Nicolas Jackson (Bayern Munich) – The Senegalese striker and Chelsea loanee scored Bayern’s fifth goal in a remarkable 6-2 comeback against Freiburg. Bayern had trailed 2-0 but responded with six unanswered goals, with Jackson netting his second league goal of the season in the 78th minute.
Edmond Tapsoba (Bayer Leverkusen) – The Burkina Faso defender continued his surprising scoring streak, heading in Leverkusen’s second goal in a 3-1 victory over Wolfsburg. It marked Tapsoba’s third goal in his last seven league appearances.
FRANCE
Ismaelo Ganiou & Morgan Guilavogui (Lens) – Ganiou scored the decisive goal in Lens’ 1-0 victory over Strasbourg, moving the team to third in Ligue 1, two points behind Paris Saint-Germain. Guinea striker Guilavogui came off the bench but was sent off in stoppage time for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Marseille) – The Gabonese veteran opened the scoring in Marseille’s 5-1 demolition of Nice, bouncing back from the disappointment of missing World Cup qualification. Marseille sit second in Ligue 1, ahead of Lens on goal difference.
Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal (Rennes) – Moroccan midfielder Ait Boudlal broke the deadlock early in Rennes’ 4-1 win over Monaco. The victory propelled Rennes to sixth place, one point and two spots above Monaco.
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