PARIS — African stars Mohamed Salah and
Sadio Mane played
key roles as Liverpool drew 2–2 at leaders Manchester City in a
top-of-the-table Premier League showdown at the weekend.
اضافة اعلان
Egypt captain Salah
played a sublime defense-splitting pass to
Senegal talisman Mane, who
celebrated his 30th birthday by equalizing with a brilliant finish into the
corner for his 16th club goal this term.
City leads
Liverpool by one point with seven rounds
remaining, and the great rivals clash again this Saturday at Wembley in an FA
Cup semi-final.
Here we highlight Africans who starred in the major
European leagues:
England
Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
Mane kept Liverpool firmly
in the Premier League title race as his second-half equalizer rescued a draw
against
Manchester City. With Liverpool trailing 2–1, Mane netted 47 seconds
after the interval at the Etihad Stadium.
Enock Mwepu (Brighton)
The Zambia midfielder scored
the crucial second goal in a shock 2–1 win for Brighton at
Arsenal. Mwepu
struck in the 67th minute, firing home from the edge of the area after a neat
interchange from Leandro Trossard and Moises Caicedo. It was the 24-year-old’s
third goal this season and first since October in a campaign affected by
injuries.
Spain
Pierre-Emerick
Aubameyang (Barcelona)
The Gabon captain and former
African Footballer of the Year scored the first Barca goal in a dramatic 3–2 La
Liga win at Levante. Second-placed
Barcelona trailed, led, and conceded an
equalizer before winning the match in added time. “We improved in the second
half, playing with more intensity,” said Aubameyang.
Italy
Victor Osimhen (Napoli)
Not the weekend the
Nigeria forward was hoping for, but a 12th goal of the season highlighted why so many
of Europe’s biggest clubs are looking at him. In a tough battle with
Fiorentina’s Igor Julio, the 23-year-old finally found some space to lash home
with six minutes remaining. Unfortunately, Napoli were already 3–1 down and
heading for a defeat which dented their hopes of a first Serie A title since
1990.
Hamed Traore (Sassuolo)
The
Ivory Coast forward has been in good form for Sassuolo and his brace
was enough to sink Atalanta in a fine 2–1 win. The 22-year-old gave the hosts
the lead when he ended a lightning counter-attack by crashing home a cross and
made sure of the win on the hour with a smart run and lovely low finish to take
his league tally this season to seven.
Germany
Ihlas Bebou (Hoffenheim)
The Togo striker played out
of position as a wing-back as Hoffenheim crashed to a 3–0 defeat at RB Leipzig.
“I have played the position a few times this season. Obviously I prefer playing
up front, but I am always ready to help the team where needed,” said Bebou as
Christopher Nkunku ran riot with a goal and assist for Leipzig.
France
Ibrahima Kone (Lorient)
The Mali international has proved a very shrewd January signing by
Lorient, helping the club considerably in their fight to avoid the drop. Kone
scored twice as Lorient came from two goals down to thump relegation rivals
Saint-Etienne 6–2 and move four points clear of the bottom three. The
22-year-old has netted five times in nine outings despite starting just three
games since his arrival.
M’baye Niang (Bordeaux)
His first league goal since
November helped
Bordeaux claim a vital three points in their bid to escape
relegation. The Senegalese attacker got the second as Bordeaux came from behind
to beat Metz 3–1 and climb off the foot of the table. They are now just two
points from safety.
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